Changes for the Better
by The Open-Eyed Day Dreamer
Summary: What if Hinata's mother hadn't died the night Hinata was kidnapped? What if Hinata wasn't kidnapped at all? What if Hizashi Hyuuga didn't die? What if Naruto and Hinata became best friends at the age of 6? Watch the amazing changes unfold as the bonds of two people become strong physically, mentally, and emotionally. Strong Naruto and Hinata but realistic progression. NO HAREM!
1. How it all began

**How it all began…**

…

_Thinking/ Indention/ Flashbacks/ Fantasies_

**Kyuubi talking to Naruto in mindscape/ Naming a jutsu/ Bold indention**

_**Kyuubi talking telepathically to Naruto/ Calling out a jutsu/ Bold words**_

…

**Hello everyone! It's me, The Open-Eyed Day Dreamer! You may remember my stories (that I'm still currently doing right now… I'm a bit lazy and loopy… Please bear with me!), mostly Naruto related. If you do then great! If you don't then… GET THOSE CRUSTS OUT OF YOUR EYES AND READ MY STUFF! And hello and welcome to my weirdly fantasy filled stories! ^/^'**

**So anyway, I hope you enjoy this new story I just recently came up with and tell me if you like it alright? 'Till then my friends!**

* * *

It was nighttime in Konohagakure which resided in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Lights of shops were rarely seen down the streets were markets were held and barely in people were out. It was quiet… a little too quiet…

And it was especially quiet in the Hyuuga Clan's compound, which was an unusual first for such a clan that was strict, stern, and punctual. No guards were about, which was also odd, and all of the lights were turned off… That is, except for one room that held a certain heiress in it. Hinata Hyuuga had just woken up from a nightmare and was shaking like a leaf as she sat in her bed while clutching her blankets up over her nose. She had turned the lamp on and was looking around wildly to see if any monsters were about.

She saw none and grabbed her favorite stuffed bear that was named Mr. Dai, and snuggled him against her chest. He was a big bear, almost the size of little 6 year old Hinata herself, and his colors were very unusual for a bear. He was white as snow and had a large blue spot over his left eye, his arms were lengthy and reached all the way to his head, and he only had one ear. Hinata was playing "surgery" and amputated one of Mr. Dai's ears for a donation to the Sickly Bear Society (a place she made up of course), thus weighting the stuffed animal of hearing with one ear.

Hinata was scared and decided to go sleep with her mother instead of being all alone in her room. Her mother was Hitomi Hyuuga and she was a very pretty woman. She had fair skin accompanied with long dark eggplant hair that went slightly past her waist, and side bangs framing her face down to her shoulders. If you had seen Hinata with her mother, you could tell right away that they looked very much alike.

Hinata swayed her legs over her bed and jumped down from it with a soft thud. Her peach-colored nighttime kimono swished as she regained her composure. She turned Mr. Dai's face so he could look at her.

"You don't think mother will be mad if we slept with her, do you Mr. Dai?" She asked him. She made the bear's head shake from side to side with her small, pale hands. Hinata smiled cutely and gave out a breath of relief. But it was short-lived once she thought of the other person that slept in the same room with her mother. "You don't think father will get mad… do you…?"

Her father, or known as Hiashi Hyuuga, was a very strict and stern man. He always trained Hinata hard in the arts of the Hyuuga, and he had many duties as the head of the Hyuuga Clan. The bluenette was sometimes afraid of her own father but when her mother and her new sister Hanabi that was recently just brought into the world a few months ago; would come to greet the two of them with bright smiles, her father would always mellow down and give her warm smiles as he told her to keep trying to do her best. Her father had long, black hair and featureless, white eyes, which was shared by all of the members of the Hyuuga Clan, for it was their Kekkei Genkai after all.

Hinata looked at Mr. Dai as she waited for his answer. After a minute or so, the bear had shaken his head, courtesy of Hinata of course. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she held in. "That's a relief… I thought father would get mad at me for sure… Let us go then!" She quickly ran out of her room and down the halls to find were her mother and father slept.

But unbeknownst to the young girl, there was a lurking figure that was following a few feet behind her with quiet steps…

…

Hinata made it to her parent's room as she huffed from all of the running and excitement that was coursing through her young body. He reason why she was soo excited was because she couldn't wait to see her mother again. Hitomi was a vital part in Hinata's life. Ever since the child was conceived she had a special connection with her mother. She never complained, yelled, screamed, or fought her mother throughout her young life. Hinata loved her mother soo much; she was willing to do anything for her.

So as she slid open the door and entered the beautifully made tatami room, she quietly crept over to her mother's side of the futon mattress as she snuggled her bear tightly against her. Once she made it over to her, Hinata kneeled down by her mother's side and used Mr. Dai's lengthy arms to poke her mother's cheek. After a few pokes, Hitomi stirred awake and looked up groggily at her assaulter.

"Hinata…?" Hitomi yawned as she covered her mouth with a pale hand. "What are you doing awake, my flower?" Hitomi would always call Hinata "flower" because of the way she acted. Hinata was shy, thoughtful, serene, kind, and very polite person, and she was also a very gentle girl as well. Hitomi considered her "a bud that had yet to blossom", and she was very proud to be called her mother. Hitomi loved Hinata very much and she did not wanted her gentle nature to be diminished like all of the elders wanted. And Hitomi wanted Hinata to be strong in her own way and not the way the elders had wanted. The mother wanted her child to have freedom and not to be caged like most of the Hyuuga's were. So as long as she had a breath in her body, Hinata would continue to be she and not some robot that could be used for manipulation.

Hinata blushed at the nickname her mother gave her. No matter how many times she said it, it just seemed that the Hyuuga heiress couldn't stop herself from blushing, and she didn't know why. "Mama… I wish to sleep with you… Is that alright…?"

Hitomi smiled at her eldest daughter. "Of course you can my flower. You can sleep with me anytime you want. Although," she turned and looked at the huge empty space that was beside her, "I do wish your busy father would stop working all the time and spend more time with us." She sighed. "Oh well, at least your little sister will have more company tonight."

They both looked over to the crib that was not far from them. Hinata stumbled over to her baby sister eagerly as she looked through the cribs bars. She was very short for a 6 year old and she couldn't quite reach the handles of the cribs yet. Hinata blushed slightly as she smiled at the small bundle the crib held within it. There, her little sister that was named Hanabi Hyuuga, she lay as she slept peacefully in her sleep. Hanabi had brown short hair that would most likely grow darker once she had gotten older, a constant blush that stained her chubby cheeks, and closed white eyes that had a hint of lilac in them.

"She's soo cute…!" Hinata exclaimed as her blush tinted a bit darker. "She will be very pretty when she grows older… I bet she will be much more prettier than me Mama!"

Hitomi chuckled at Hinata's humbleness. It never ceased to amaze how her daughter always put others before herself. But she couldn't complain, after all, she was exactly the same way as well. "I don't know," she giggled, "I think, no, I know you will be very beautiful one day… Even more beautiful than myself my dear."

Hinata blushed horribly at her mother's praise. She stuffed her red face into her animal pal as she tried to hide her embarrassment. More beautiful than her own mother? She doubted it. After all, her mother was considered the most beautiful Hyuuga in the _entire_ Hyuuga Clan. The young heiress thought that she was absolutely no contest against her mother, therefore she always berated how she was in fact not cute and was plain and that she should just accept it.

Before the bluenette could answer, a nasty laughter broke Hinata's line of speech. "Well isn't this _touching_?" A voice sneered at the two. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I have business here that needs taking care of." Hinata and Hitomi jumped as the saw a figure lean against the door. It was a tall, slim man with dark eyes with lines underneath them, black hair and beard. He wore the older-styled flak jacket which had thick shoulder pads. His head was bandaged and a forehead protector Hinata didn't recognize, covered his right eye. He wore a black suit of clothing and an obi around his waist.

Hinata didn't know how this man was but Hitomi knew full well who the man was. Hitomi quickly stood up, pulled out a kunai that hid in her white kimono's sleeve, and pushed Hinata behind her. She narrowed her eyes as she addressed the man.

"Kumogakure ninja." She hissed. "Not only that but you are the Head Ninja of Kumogakure, are you not?"

He clapped as he started to slowly make his way over to the females, drawing out a kunai from his weapons pouch that was strapped on his waist as he did so. "Well done, I applaud your intellect. You Hyuuga are truly the real deal." His sharp eyes suddenly turned cold with malice. "But you and I both know what I'm really here for." He pointed towards Hinata who jumped in surprise and fear. "Give me the girl and no one gets hurt."

Hinata started to shake like a leaf as she ripped her eyes slowly from the man to her mother who stood rigid as a rock. "M-Mama…" She squeaked as she started to pull on her mother's beautifully white kimono. "Wh-Why does h-he want me? Why?"

The head's wife looked down at her eldest daughter and felt her heart rip in two. She absolutely hated it when she caused Hinata so much strife. But she needed her to be strong if she was going to make it out of here alive. "Hinata." She whispered. "I need you to listen to me… Go to the crib and get Hanabi out of here."

The bluenette's lavender-tinted eyes widened with fear. What about her mother? Was she going to be okay? Was she going to follow them? Would she make the bad man go away? She had to know and she had to know now.

"Wh-What about y-you Mama? A-Are you coming o-out with u-us?" She asked as tears threated to spill down her cheeks.

Hitomi gave Hinata a solemn smile as she nodded towards the young girl. "Of course my flower… Now get going and get Hanabi out of here and warn your father. Hurry now, hurry!" She whispered softly.

Hinata hesitated at first, but gave a small nod. She dashed as she made a run for her sister with clumsy but quick strides. The Head of Kumogakure smirked as he watched the girl make a futile attempt to get away from him.

"I admire your bravery you little brat," He laughed as he twirled his kunai on a finger, "but you're coming with me!" Before he could run over to Hinata, he felt a sharp pain slice through his cheek. He growled as he paid his attention back to the woman as she had her **Byakugan** activated and was standing in the Hyuuga's rigid fighting style.

"Your fight is not with her but with me. And don't call my child a brat. It is you who act more childish than she does." Hitomi spat as she charged at him with smooth strides.

The head ninja spat on the ground as he grinned at the woman running towards him. "Fine if you want it so badly, I'll give you a fight!" And he too charged towards her.

…

Hinata made it to her sister just as the babe began wailing at the noise commencing behind her. Hinata grabbed the safety latch and unhooked it. She then pulled down on the bars and the side of the crib slid down completely revealing a venerable baby Hanabi. The whole time this was happening Hinata was crying silent tears of woe and despair. She felt utterly helpless as her mother fended off the bad man that was trying to capture her. It didn't help that she was steal glancing of her mother being momentarily overpowered, or how Hanabi cried at the commotion.

"Shh Hanabi shh…" Hinata tried to silence her sister with a wobbly voice. "I-It's okay, Mama will—!" Hinata was suddenly cut off once she heard a sharp cry of pain slice through the air. But it wasn't a man's cry, it was a female's cry. Hinata whirled around as she saw her mother bleeding heavily from the various cuts and bruises she received from her attacks against the man. She was pressed against the wall as the man advanced forward. Even though he had the upper hand, the head ninja did also display his own injuries from their scuffle. One arm was hanging limp as he had deep wounds and cuts from senbon Hitomi threw at him.

Hinata watched helplessly as her shaking grew more and more. What should she do? What can she do? All of these questions constantly plagued her mind as the seconds rolled by and her mother's survival looked bleak. She should run away? Or should she fight? The young girl collapsed on her knees, gripped her head, and wailed pitifully as her uselessness took over.

_I… I can't do anything right!_ Hinata thought as her crying escalated and Hanabi's wails untied with hers_. Because of me Mama will… She's gonna…!_

"Hinata." Said girl looked up as she saw her mother look up at her with a gentle smile stretched across her lips. "I know you did your best and I'm very proud of you… But you must run and get your sister to safety… Run and tell someone what has happened… After that, you must hide… You must hide and survive!"

Hinata suddenly froze. To her, something felt… wrong about that sentence. Like it wasn't supposed to sound like that. _Run…! Hide…! Run and get someone else…! Hide…! _She replayed those words over and over again until finally something snapped within her.

The small child suddenly arose slowly on her two feet as her face morphed into an expression she has never shown before. Anger.

_No…! No more hiding!_ She thought as she grabbed Mr. Dai by an arm. Her posture straightened, her head held high, and her lips started to droop as it turned into a frown. _I'm not going to hide! I'm not going to run! I'm not going to leave Mama anymore!_ She suddenly started to narrow her eyes a little more as small veins started to pop around them. _I will protect her and Hanabi! To protect Mama and Hanabi…_ The veins started to grow larger as her pale eyes started to see the insides of chakra networks. _…Is to protect my family!_

"_**Byakugan!"**_ Hinata screamed and she threw her stuffed bear at the bad man's back to get his attention. The Head Ninja of Kumogakure willfully took the bait but a second later, he wished he hadn't. Hinata had suddenly dashed at the man with incredible speed and delivered a chakra encrusted palm into the man's stomach. He keeled over for a minute but Hinata then started to give him jabs on random chakra points on his body.

Hitomi watched with shock as her daughter took on a dangerous man three times her size. _Hinata has awakened her _**Byakugan**_…_ She thought numbly as she could do nothing be sit there and watch her daughter fight. _My daughter has awakened her _**Byakugan**_ and is fighting the _Head_ Ninja of _Kumogakure_ right before my eyes…!_

The head ninja was beginning to lose all feeling in his body as the child continued her onslaught of precise and painful chakra encrusted attacks. He was being defeated by a mere child! He growled as the girl jabbed his solar plexus. He was the Head Ninja of Kumogakure darn it! And he wasn't going to roll over for some pipsqueak.

Before Hinata could hit the man's throat with a palm, he grabbed his kunai and sliced her cheek. She screamed in pain as she staggered away from the man and tried to stop the blood that was spilling out from her cut.

"Take this you little urchin!" He bellowed as he punched her on top of her head, leaving Hinata to crash to the floor and writhe in pain. But the older shinobi wasn't finished yet. He got up from his knees and stumbled over to the shy girl. Once he was on a side of Hinata, he started to violently kick the girl without mercy.

"No! Stop this at once!" Hitomi cried as she tried to move her numb body but found out she could not. "Leave my daughter alone!"

The Head Ninja smirked as his kicks became more violent. "Heh! This will teach her to not mess with Kumoga—!" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence once he felt an exploding pain shoot through his chest. The head fell to the floor next by Hinata with a heavy thud. Blood started to spill out of his mouth as the man's eyes rolled up into his skull. He was dead.

"This will teach you to never hurt my daughter. Scum." A cold voice said as he picked up Hinata in his strong arms.

Hitomi looked up with happiness and relief at her savior. "Hiashi!" The man looked over to his wife and instantly came over to her side. He wore a simple, white kimono, held closed by a dark-coloured sash along with a brown, long-sleeved haori. Hiashi started to examine his beloved's wounds as he looked at her with worried eyes. Hitomi laughed heartily at her husband's expression. "I am alright my love. You have no need to worry."

"No need to worry?!" Hiashi yelled at his wife. "I turn my back for one minute and what do I see? I see you and Hinata blooded and half-conscious while Hanabi's crib has been opened and she is crying! I have plenty of reasons to worry!"

"Hiashi," Hitomi says sternly as she gets her husband's full attention, "I think the important thing is treating our daughter for her wounds." She then nods at the state Hinata was in. Blood was flowing from her scalp, down into her face as a nasty purple bruise appeared on her right cheek. Her pale arms were swollen and her body looked crumpled and paler than usual. When Hiashi applied a little force on Hinata's ribs, her body twitched and her face contorted into a look of pain.

_No doubt she has a few bruised ribs…_ Hiashi sighed and gave into his wife's demands. Not long after that, a few branch member guards ran in looking rather unnerved and weary. They had awoken from their slumber once they heard scuffling and the sound of two bodies thumping against the floors.

"Lord Hiashi, what has—?"

"Get my brother in here immediately!" Hiashi barked as he interrupted the branch member. They nodded curtly and quickly filed out leaving Hiashi to tend to his daughter and wife's wounds as much as he could. After a few minutes, a man that looked identical to Hiashi came in. His name was Hizashi Hyuuga and he was the identical twin of his brother. He had long, black hair and featureless, white eyes, but the thing was he had the trait called the Caged Bird Seal that was implanted on his forehead and shared by all of the branch members of the Hyuuga Clan. He wore a long-sleeved, loose-fitting kimono held closed by an obi, which seemed to be the common attire of the clan.

"Hiashi what is the—!" Hizashi stopped dead in his tracks once he saw the state of his sister-in-law and his niece were in. His white eyes grew filled with worry as he quickly went over by his brother's side. "Wh-What has happened here? Who has done this?"

"The mangy culprit is over there." Hiashi growled as he pointed towards the dead ninja. His twin brother narrowed his eyes as he registered the man's identity.

"I see… He was after the **Byakugan**, wasn't he?" Hizashi asked Hitomi. The woman nodded and began feel tired.

"Hai. He tried to take Hinata's eyes but I was able to intercept him, but I did not keep him at bay long enough for you to show up Hiashi." Hitomi explained to her two dearest men. The brothers pulled the same look of an eyebrow lifting simultaneously.

"What do you mean by that?" They asked in unison, making Hitomi laugh heartily.

She smiled as she looked down at Hinata's mangled body. Hiashi managed to stop the bleeding, but they needed professional help. It wasn't anything dire, but it still needed to be treated. "I am saying that Hinata was the one that provided the diversion long enough for you to get here my loves."

Hiashi and Hizashi's pale eyes widened in utter surprise. It was the same for the other branch members that were also present in the room. Hinata had severely damaged the Head Ninja of Kumogakure? But she was only a child, surely this was some misunderstanding? They were about to be in for another surprise when Hitomi addressed the two men again.

Hitomi winced as she brought up an arm to stroke Hinata's dark blue hair. Hiashi protested at first but stopped once he saw the loving and proud look on his wife's face. "Can you believe it Hiashi my dear?"

"Believe what?"

Hitomi giggled. "That our beloved daughter has stood up to a man that was ranked Head Ninja of Kumo, but not only that. Hinata activated her **Byakugan**. Can you believe it? She actually activated her **Byakugan** at such a young age!"

That really settled in the surprises that day. Hiashi's mouth went slightly agape as Hizashi's eyes widened again before he started to chuckle. He placed a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Well it seems that my son has some catching up to do, right Brother?" Hizashi smiled warmly as he gently took Hinata out of his arms. "Come on, let's go get these two taken care of." He said as he started to carry Hinata out of the room.

Hiashi could only nod numbly as he carefully scooped his wife into his strong arms and stagger right behind his brother. They whole way he was confused while his wife was just giggling at his expense. All the while this was happening, he only had one thought circling around his head.

What just happened?

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi, or formally known as the Third Hokage, was smoking his pipe as he assessed the situation right in front of him. The Hyuuga Clan head with his brother and five other members were standing rigidly awaiting further commands. It had been five days after the assault on the Hyuuga Clan by Kumo, and they were more tense than ever. The whole compound was surrounded by guards' day in and day out, surveying every little detail into every known place. They constantly switched guards every five hours or so and the clan was sharping their skills with knew found vigor.

Ever since Hinata and Hitomi had been injured in their scuffle with a dangerous man, the whole clan has been on unrest. The branch family was doing their best not because they were ordered to do so, but because the wanted to. Hinata and her mother were always kind to the branch family and tried to help out with anything they could if the opportunity showed up. And for that, the lesser branch were immensely grateful to them.

Hiruzen blew out a ring of smoke before addressing the stern clan. "Tell me Hiashi, how is Hinata and Hitomi doing?"

The old Hokage watched as the clanhead's eyes relaxed a little while the rest of his body remained as strong as a rock. "Very well thank you. Hitomi is making a full recovery while Hinata is as well, but she will be having some signs of the fight still showing on her body for a few weeks." He replied curtly.

Hiruzen smiled. He always did like to see the little heiress. He rarely saw her but when he did, he was always amused at how shy the girl was. It had taken some time, but the Third had managed to make the girl approach him without hesitation. On occasions, she would even run up to him and give him a hug before returning back in between her parents and having her father scold her on how that was not appropriate.

"Wonderful news." He said with his smile growing wider. "I take it you will be letting some battle scars stay, am I correct?"

Hiashi gave the Hokage a rare smile. "You already knew that didn't you, so why ask?"

The Sandaime gave a raspy laugh. "Just because I'm old, doesn't mean I can't have a little fun." After a few moments the Hokage's facial expression turned serious. Hiashi immediately took the hint and steeled his eyes. "I have some news, Hiashi. News pertaining to the Kumo incident…"

Hiashi knew that this day would come and prepared for it accordingly and was ready to make the necessary arrangements for whatever Kumogakure threw at him. But he wasn't ready for what fate had in store for him.

"We have told them what has happened over hear and they were quite furious. So furious, that they demanded that you give them something in return for your supposed transgressions you have committed on them." The Hokage began as he puffed another cloud of smoke.

Hiashi tensed as he waited for the Hokage's reply. When the old ninja didn't reply, Hiashi became impatient. "And those demands are…?"

The Sandaime inhaled deeply before addressing his audience again. He linked his fingers together as his facial expression became serious. "They demand… the death of you Hiashi Hyuuga. A ninja for a ninja per say…"

* * *

Hinata was merrily chasing Mr. Dai as the stuffed bear ran away from her. They were in a meadow full of flowers with the sun shining high and the sky clear of clouds. Hinata was having a wonderful time as she chased her beloved stuffed animal as they played a game of tag.

"Wait up Mr. Dai!" Hinata screamed happily as she started to steadily gain on her friend. "Wait for me!"

"No way! You've got to catch me first!" The bear teased as he started to get farther and farther away from her. Hinata giggled as she continued running, but fell tired once she couldn't find the strength in her legs to push on. She watched helplessly as her animal pal ran farther and farther away until he couldn't see him anymore. Hinata jumped once she felt the meadow give way under her feet and she started to fall into a black abyss of darkness. She watched with fear as the sun and the sky melted away and the color of pure black filled her line of vision. She screamed as she continued to fall down… down… down…

Hinata snapped her eyes open and jerked her body up in the air. She panted heavily as she looked around with wide, scared eyes.

"Hinata! Calm down sweetie, I am here. Please be still my flower." A familiar yet soothing voice called out to the young girl.

Hinata's eyes adjusted to the bright light as she looked around the room. It had white walls with white tile flooring. Hinata saw a chair and heard a soft beeping that resounded throughout the room. It smelled like medicine and chemicals and it made the bluenette's nose wrinkle at the smell. She immediately knew she was in the hospital. The bluenette shakily turned her head over to see her mother sitting up in the bed next to her. She was covered with gauze and bandages but she was smiling at Hinata nonetheless.

"It's good to see you up Hinata. Are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?" Her mother asked her. Hinata just responded with her eyes watering before she broke down crying. She wailed as she tried to wipe away her tears with her tiny fists, but the young heiress found out that she couldn't stop herself from crying.

Hitomi's eyes looked crestfallen as she watched her eldest daughter cry. She cringed as she forced herself out of bed. She made her way over to her daughter with wobbly steps before placing her bottom down on the side of the bed with a heavy whump. She outstretched her arms and wrapped them around Hinata. The 6 year old gripped her mother's hospital garments hard as she cried into her chest.

Hitomi smiled gently as she began to stroke her daughter's hair with soothing strokes. "It is okay my sweet; you have done nothing wrong… Why, if you had not fought that man, I would surely not be here before you right now. You should be very proud of yourself."

Hinata continued to cry as she listened to her mother's words. She had done nothing wrong? But she had caused her mother soo much pain; she didn't even want to look at herself. Hinata had noticed the way she had come over to her; she was hurt and there wasn't a thing the bluenette couldn't do about it. So Hinata cried, but she cried with sorrow and guilt. Sorrow for her mother's pain, and guilt for her own weakness and how she wasn't strong enough to prevent those wounds from happening.

The young heiress' mind suddenly brightened with an idea. She wasn't strong now, but if she could train herself, then maybe, just maybe, she could prevent this from ever happening again!

Hinata felt her cries subside until it was nothing more than a few whimpers here and there. She lifted her head up to look at her mother with wet, red, lavender-tinted eyes. "Mama," Hinata began, "I… I want to get s-stronger so that I can protect you the next time a-a bad person comes!"

Hitomi smiled down at her soon-to-be-look-alike. She knew this day would come, but she had thought it would come in a much less… scary fashion for her young daughter. "Well my flower, there is a way for that to happen you know." She said as she poked Hinata's little red nose.

Hinata's eyes grew into small saucers. "R-Really?! How Mama?!"

"Why the Ninja Academy of course!" Hitomi giggled at her eldest daughter's expression.

Hinata tilted her head in confusion. "Ninja… Academy…?" This was the first time she had ever heard of that.

Hitomi giggled and snuggled her daughter closer as she began to explain. "Hai. The Ninja Academy is where young children, like you," she poked Hinata's nose again and this time it made the girl giggle, "train in order to become shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. Once you have passed your third year there, you will be promoted to the rank of Genin and will start your career as a ninja of the Leaf. It sounds pretty exciting doesn't it?"

Hinata's eyes went wide after she heard her mother's revelation. There was an Academy where she could train to be a ninja? Well, sure she was already training as a ninja in the Hyuuga arts, but the young heiress had no idea that there was a school for children who wanted to be shinobi. And since it provided Hinata with just the golden opportunity she was looking for, she eagerly took it.

"H-Hai! I would like to join this Ninja Academy!" Hinata squealed as she began bouncing on the bed. "Oh please may I mother? May I?!"

Hitomi laughed at her daughter's behavior once more and scooped her little bundle into her arms before she began nuzzling Hinata with her nose. "Of course you can my precious flower. We just need to get your father's consent as well and you'll be good to go! I heard that the Academy will be opening in about a month's worth. We'll have plenty of time to get you prepared and ready for school. Oh this is so exciting!" And after that, they began talking with Hitomi mostly explaining what Hinata will be learning at the Academy and how they will prepare her for it.

* * *

Hiashi, Hizashi, and the batch of branch members that were chosen to accompany them were walking down the hospital halls to where Hinata and Hitomi resided. Hiashi was very distraught and his steps were heavy and not swift and brisk. He was contemplating everything the Sandaime had discussed with him. He was going to have to die for something Kumo had caused? It was ludicrous and it just didn't add up. But he had no authority over the situation for he was not a Kage. So for now, he tried to think of some way to alter his path of demise.

"Brother…"

Hiashi looked up to see Hizashi looking in deep thought. His face contorted into different emotions of confusion, to determination.

"Yes Hizashi?"

His identical twin looked at him with resolve blazing in his all-seeing eyes. "Let me do it."

Hiashi stopped in his tracks as well as everyone else. Hiashi looked at his brother with shocked eyes. "Wh-What did you say? You can't honestly mean that can you Hizashi?!"

Hizashi sighed before he turned around to face his older brother. He knew this day would come where he would have to sacrifice himself to protect his brother. As it was the duty of the lesser branch's job to protect the main with their lives. "Hiashi, do you know what it is like to bear the Caged Bird Seal? It is demeaning and we are helpless to its power… By sacrificing myself I have a chance at freedom. I can finally be free of this accursed seal and not have to feel its wrath ever again… It is my wish to do this."

"B-But what about Neji?! Surely you wouldn't leave your own son would you?!" Hiashi protested. Before Hizashi could answer, they all suddenly heard a door slid open. All of the Hyuugas turned to see little Hinata standing by the hospital door with a small hand still gripping the handle.

"Hinata…?" Hiashi and Hizashi both said simultaneously.

Hinata was staring at her father and uncle with mortification written all over her round face. She had heard everything her uncle Hizashi had said. Sacrificing? Freedom? Caged Bird Seal? Suddenly, it all came crashing down on her once she remembered the night before. She realized that the Head Ninja of Kumogakure was a much known man throughout the shinobi nations. Her memory was still fuzzy, but she could remember her father hitting the man before he lay still. So when she heard the conversations and the saw the tired looks upon her relatives, she immediately knew what was happening.

Hinata was very young, but she wasn't stupid. She limped over to her father and uncle's sides still feeling the effects from yesterday's scuffle. She grabbed onto each of their robes and pulled on it to get their attention.

"Yes Hinata? What is it that you want?" Hiashi asked his daughter as he kneeled by her with his eyes displaying kindness.

The young heiress looked down for a moment before looking up at her father with determined eyes. "I know this is not my place father but… why don't you use a cadve… a cadev… a counterfeit body in your place?"

All of the other Hyuugas present widened their eyes wit surprise and shock. Hiashi turned to look at his brother, just as he turned to look at him. They both shared the same thought.

When had Hinata become soo smart?

"Do you think it will work Hiashi?" Hizashi asked him. He did want to sacrifice himself, but he felt that he had much more things to be done before that could ever happen. Plus, he couldn't help but feel that Hinata would have such a great impact on the Hyuuga Clan, and that it could change it for many generations to come.

Hiashi pondered the situation. A counterfeit body could work, but how would they make it look exactly like him?

As if she could read his thoughts, Hinata spoke up once more. "You could use makeup to make it look more like you, and put layers of hard to break through genjutsu over the body so no one could suspect a thing." Hinata looked at the ground as she began to shuffle her feet. "B-But the problem is, how can the genjutsu not be detected from well-trained shinobi?"

Hiashi looked at his daughter incredulously. When had she learned about genjutsu? He certainly did not teach it to her. He didn't even explain the concept to her. He grabbed onto Hinata's shoulders and looked the shy girl straight in the eyes.

"Hinata, who told you about genjutsu?" Hiashi demanded.

Hinata looked into her father's eyes for a split second before refocusing back to the ground with a flustered face. "M-Mama told me… Sh-She said i-it was something I-I was going to l-learn about once I-I went into th-the N-Ninja Academy…"

"The Ninja Academy?!" Hiashi screamed and he stormed into the hospital room while he was dragging poor Hinata along with him. He stomped right in front of Hitomi who had not moved from her spot.

"Hitomi, did you tell Hinata about the Ninja Academy?!"

Hitomi folded her hands neatly in her lap as she looked up at her fuming husband with calm collective pale eyes. "Hiashi, you knew this day would come my husband. You need to accept that our little Hinata-hime is more than ready to embrace the art of the ninja… Wouldn't you agree?"

Hiashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes… It does seem that Hinata has… _experienced_ more than what a normal 6 year old would have, but what with the crisis at hand now and the suggestion of genjutsu over the body…"

Hitomi raised a brow. "Body? What are you talking about my love?"

Hiashi sighed and began to relay what happened with the meeting with the Hokage and Hizashi's declaration. Hitomi was mortified at first, but slowly she her mind began to ponder over the situation at hand.

After a brief moment of silence, the beautiful woman spoke again. "I see… That is actually not a bad idea. And I know just the person who can be able to distribute such a high class genjutsu."

"Really? Who might that be?" Hiashi asked. At that remark, his wife looked at him and gave him a small mischievous smile. He instantly knew what she was implying and sweat began to formulate on his neck. "Oh. Her."

* * *

Young 15 year old Kurenai Yuhi was sitting at a dango shop as she ate her dango. She had long, black, shoulder-length untamed hair, and very unique eyes that are red in color, with an additional ring in them. And she wore the standard Leaf ninja gear which consisted of a green flak jacket with a red maelstrom in the middle of the back, regular shinobi sandals, and a Forehead Protector that was placed firmly on her forehead.

Kurenai was considered a genjutsu specialist because of her advanced genjutsu that she could pull off when many other shinobi couldn't. Even though she was a Chūnin, many ninja that were in the village showed her great respect; which she hated very much. Right now, she was just waiting for her friend, Anko Mitarashi, to get here so they could have a girls day.

Funny how fate could be cruel to those that didn't even know they were about to be dragged into something big.

Kurenai blinked when a ninja appeared in front of her. But it was no ordinary ninja or ANBU, no it was a _Hyuuga_. And by the looks of it, it seemed the guy was very unnerved by something.

"Miss Kurenai, Lord Hiashi requests your presence at the hospital in Room#203 immediately." He said quickly.

Kurenai blinked again and pulled out the dango stick that was in her mouth. "What for?"

The Hyuuga messenger started to fidget a little before remaining rigid once again. Now the genjutsu mistress was really interested. "I… cannot say it out loud in public, nor do I have the permission to do so. Lord Hiashi will explain everything once you get there. It is imperative that you come Miss Kurenai."

Kurenai sighed and began to twirl her dango stick between her fingers. "Well, since Anko isn't going to come I might as well. It's not like I have anything else better to do while I sit here." She stood up and followed the messenger back to the hospital with brisk strides.

…

Kurenai slid open the door to Room#203 and walked in to find that all of the Hyuugas were awaiting her. She was surprised but masked it well as she went to go discuss with the group. "So you called me? What's this about Lord Hiashi?" She asked in a curt manner.

Hiashi sighed as he addressed the genjutsu mistress. "Ah yes, hello Kuren—"

"Kurenai!" A voice addressed the young teen with a happy manner.

Kurenai craned her neck to see her favorite adult Hitomi Hyuuga. Ever since the girl was little she had looked up to Hitomi and her skills as a ninja. So when she saw her role model all banged up and hurt, you can bet the genjutsu specialist was worried.

Kurenai quickly made her way over to Hitomi and grabbed one of the woman's hands as she fretted over her. "Miss Hitomi! What happened to you?! Did someone hurt you?! Why if I ever ran into the person who did this, I'm gonna—!" She stopped once she saw a little girl; no more than 6 maybe, pull on Hitomi's robes. She looked at Kurenai with big, curious eyes as she stood beside her role model. "Who's the squirt?"

Hitomi laughed at Kurenai's attention span. With teens it was always one thing that quickly led to another in a matter of seconds. "Why Kurenai, this is my daughter Hinata Hyuuga. Surely you can see the comparison between her and me?"

Kurenai's red eyes widened in shock as she looked between Hitomi and her daughter. She noticed that there were in fact similarities between the woman and the little girl.

"Wow…" Kurenai breathed as she kneeled down to the heiress' height. Hinata squeaked and tried to hide behind her mother's legs as she observed the Chūnin shyly. "I never knew… Umm, hey there kid." Kurenai greeted as she waved at Hinata.

Hinata blushed as she tried to make herself more invisible to the teenager. Kurenai couldn't help but snort at the bluenette's antics as Hitomi laughed at Hinata's behavior also.

"Well, she seems a bit shy." Kurenai chuckled as she began scratching a cheek with a finger.

"Ahem!" A voice interrupted the two young women. They turned to see Hiashi looking very miffed that he was ignored completely. "If you're all finished, I would like to move on to important matters please."

Kurenai rolled her eyes as she stood up and faced the stern man. "Ah yes, please continue Lord Hiashi."

Hiashi nodded and began telling Kurenai about the Hyuuga incident. Kurenai was appalled at what happened and became angry at the Head of Kumo of what he did to a shy girl like Hinata. She didn't know the girl, but no kid should be treated like that, no matter what caliber they uphold. So when Hiashi told the plan Hinata had come up with, Kurenai was surprised at the cleverness the kid had, but she was also a bit happy that the girl had displayed such an ingenious plan.

For now, the young Yuhi covered her emotions as she readdressed the Hyuuga's clanhead.

"Hmm… It does seem like a good plan…" Kurenai sighed and then shrugged. "Oh what the heck, I'll give it a shot."

All of the Hyuugas looked relived that the genjutsu mistress had willingly agreed to their terms. They thought it was going to be difficult at first, but it was a surprising turn of events that went greatly in their favor.

"Thank you very much Kurenai," Hiashi said with a small smile, "you have no idea how much this means to us."

Hizashi nodded as he agreed alongside his big brother. He put a reassuring hand on the clanhead's shoulder as he gave Kurenai a small smile of approval as well. "Yes, you have saved a life this day."

Kurenai nodded curtly to them. She was ultimately surprised at the rare signs of emotion the Hyuuga brothers were displaying. Usually, it was only Hitomi that ever displayed any emotion at all in the Hyuuga compound, as far as the genjutsu mistress knew; but she had never in her life seen the two brothers show any emotion between each other, or to others.

She felt a small body brush past her and saw little Hinata run up to the two males and grab onto their haoris with her small, pale hands. Kurenai watched as the young heiress gave the two brothers a toothy smile and they, in turn, gave her smiles that were full with happiness. Both of them patted her head and Hinata began to giggle.

Kurenai felt her mouth go agape as she watched the whole scene unfold right in front of her very eyes. She felt someone tug on her arm and turned around to see Hitomi smiling brightly at her.

"It's amazing isn't it?" She said as she watched her daughter bounce up and down excitedly as she began to chat animatedly with Hiashi and Hizashi. "She has brought so much relaxation in the Hyuuga compound in a matter of days… I have never seen Hiashi and Hizashi look soo… happy with each other."

Kurenai nodded and looked at the two men. "Yes, it seems your daughter has done the impossible. Pretty neat kid you've got there, Hitomi."

Hitomi giggled and a small blush graced her cheeks. "Yes… it seems I have." She looked down at her hands for a moment before looking back up at Kurenai again. "Kurenai, I wish for you to teach my daughter."

Yuhi almost facefaulted once she heard that. "What the…?! Where did that come from?!"

Hitomi looked at the genjutsu mistress sternly. "You are going to enter the Jonin exams… right?"

Kurenai felt sweat begin to formulate on her neck. "Well yes but—"

"Then you will be able to teach a Genin team correct?" Hitomi was getting excited. If she could get Hinata on Kurenai's team, then she knew Hinata would be much happier and learn a thing or two from one of her precious people.

"Hitomi," Kurenai sighed, "the Genin team selections are completely at random. I can't do anything about it; it's up to the Hokage to decide on the teams." Hitomi hung her head in despair and Kurenai felt guilt begin to well up inside of her. She sighed again and looked at Hinata. The 6 year old was being swinged back and forth courtesy of Hiashi and Hizashi. She was laughing and had a small blush on her face.

Kurenai felt something twinge inside of her as she had felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt… warm… There was something about that girl, that little Hyuuga before, that made her feel alive again. Yuhi felt herself relax as her face morphed from a look of sternness, into a look of happiness.

"But maybe I'll try to reason with the Sandaime when the time comes…" She said faking a look of annoyance. She glanced at Hinata again and her innards felt that warmth again. "… Just maybe…"

…

The next day arrived and Kurenai was already at the Hyuuga compound. She had just met up with one of the Hyuuga guards and went into the family's tombs. She went along with Hiashi, Hizashi, and Hitomi and had to find the freshest body they could find. After that, the plan went along smoothly. Kurenai put one of her strongest jutsu over the body that was nearly impossible to break even for someone like her.

A few days went by and it was time for the transaction. Hizashi and some of the select Hyuuga he picked out went to give the body at the Hidden Leaf Village's main gates. The Kumo ninja were already waiting and inspected the body once the casket was set down before them.

"Is this Hiashi Hyuuga?" One Kumo ninja asked with an emotionless tone.

Hizashi narrowed his eyes. He had to play the part of being angry so their plan wouldn't fail. The real Hiashi was laying low in the Hyuuga compound while his brother took on the part of participating in the transaction. "Yes it is. I hope you Kumo are happy. It seems your constant complaining and contempt for others has put an imbalance to the Hidden Leaf." Hizashi spat.

The Kumo ninja just grinned at Hizashi's anger. The four ninja picked the casket and disappeared in a swirl of wind. They one said one thing before they left. "Thank you for your corporation, _Leaf ninja_."

After a few seconds, Hizashi retracted his Byakugan he had activated as soon as the… guests left. He smiled and stuffed his hands into his sleeves. He led the other branch members back to the compound with a calm pace.

"No, thank you." Hizashi said quietly to himself.

* * *

_Next time on Changes for the Better: Ninja Academy and First Meetings!_

* * *

**Oh yeah! I'm done! And I finished this one in record time too! Hey guys, it's me the Open-Eyed Day Dreamer! Okay you guys, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret about me. That secret is… Dun da da da! I can get really distracted easily… -_-'… **

**Okay the thing is I'm really unfocused and I just recently came up with this story and I completely disregard my other story: The Evolution of Love and… you see where I'm going with this? I will say though that I will get back on that story soon so please bear with me people (I really need to get my head back in the game)! It's just that on the Evolution of Love, I'm at a **_**horrible**_** writer's block so it's gonna take some time to get over that hurtle. 'Till then, please wait!**

**Okay my dudes and dudettes! If you have sneezed through this whole story then GOD BLESS YOUR FACE! Ha Ha! OK, see you awesome readers later! Byyyyhiiiii!**


	2. Konoha Ninja Academy and First Meetings!

**Konoha Ninja Academy and First Meetings!**

…

_Thinking/ Indention/ Flashbacks/ Fantasies_

**Kyuubi talking to Naruto in mindscape/ Naming a jutsu/ Bold indention**

_**Kyuubi talking telepathically to Naruto/ Calling out a jutsu/ Bold words**_

…

* * *

It was a wonderful morning in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The birds were singing, the woodland creatures were scurrying about, and the people in the village were bustling around, full of activity. But for one clan, it was extraordinarily wonderful and one little Hyuuga was absolute bouncing with energy for the first time in her young life.

Little Hinata Hyuuga, who was only 6 years old, was bouncing in her spot as a few branch member females were drying her up from her recent bathing. They had a hard time keeping the little girl still since she kept trying to writhe out of their grip.

"P-Please Lady Hinata," one female exclaimed as she held the young girl's shoulders down, "you must be still or else we'll never get your clothes on!"

"But I want to go to the Konoha Ninja Academy now!" Hinata pouted as she wriggled around in the young woman's grip. She managed to get free and slip under the female's arm. Hinata giggled as she headed for the door planning to run away in all her glory.

"L-Lady Hinata!" All of the branch members exclaimed, astonished at the young girl's display of vulgar behavior.

Before Hinata could even get out of the room, she bumped into a solid figure that made her fall back on her bottom hard. She looked up to see her mother's smiling face while little girl rubbed her sore butt cheeks.

"Mama!" She beamed as she got up and jumped into her mother's arms. Hitomi laughed at her daughter who was in the nude and laughed even harder once she saw the female branch members' worn out and distressed expressions.

"I take it that she has caused you some trouble?" Hitomi asked, stifling her giggles.

They all nodded exasperatedly as their knees wobbled. They looked like they were going to collapse any second now. But one sole female walked up to Hitomi and Hinata trying to mask her tiredness. "Yes m'lady. We were quite shocked when Lady Hinata displayed a very… _exuberant_ side to us this morn."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" She then looked at her eldest. Hinata caught her mother's gaze and tried to hide her blushing face into her mother's kimono. Hitomi wore a long-sleeved, loose-fitting, dark purple kimono that was held closed by a light purple obi.

The Hyuuga matriarch let out a playful sigh and stroked her daughter's silky dark blue hair. "Well then, I think you lovely women should take a break now. I will take care of our little troublemaker here." The women hesitated but complied to their matriarch's wishes nonetheless. They all filed out the room while Hitomi set Hinata on the bed and started to put on the little girl's clothes.

"I take it you are excited about your first day at the Academy?" Hitomi asked as she held out Hinata's panties and waited for the girl to finish slipping them on. "You don't usually act so willy-nilly… not that it is a bad thing of course."

Hinata blushed heartily as she began slipping on her shirt. But before she could slip her another arm in another sleeve, her mother stopped her.

"Oh I almost forgot," Hitomi quickly went into the bathroom and came out moments later with gauze, "I need to wrap this around your chest sweetie. Your ribcages are not quite fully healed yet, so we have to keep it bandaged up to reduce stress on it and keep it aligned if necessary."

"Yes Mama." Hinata complied and took off her shirt. It was true since Hinata has still been feeling the effects of her scuffle with a dangerous man one month ago. It wasn't dire it was just sore, and another reason being as to why she can still feel it, is that Hinata's physical appearance was very weak for her age. She was born a premature babe after all, and the doctors told her not to stress her body too much after her monthly physical examinations. But Hinata still trained in the Hyuuga arts, pushing her body to the limit. It was amazing she could fight let alone train.

Hitomi began to wrap up her little daughter's torso and then wrapped both of her arms. She then pulled out some bandages and dressed her face as much as she could. Hiashi had ordered that some scars be stitched as to show people of her battle wounds; so Hiashi had the cut on his daughter's cranium, that the Head of Kumo kicked, be stitched together.

"One more bandage… and… there!" Hitomi mused as she admired her work. "You're all bandaged up my flower. Would you like to go see in the mirror?"

"Yes please!" Hinata beamed and quickly hopped off of the bed and bounced over to the long, vertical mirror that was placed by the bathroom door. Hinata saw that her less than swollen cheek had a cloth that was bandaged to her face, her cheek scar that resided on her other cheek, was healing quite nicely and was covered by a long brown bandage, and a small tan Band-Aid was dotted right in the center of her forehead. You could see it if you lifted up her bangs.

"Wow…" Hinata breathed as she admired her battle scars. She suddenly turned around and looked at her mother timidly while she poked her two index fingers together. "Y-You don't think anyone would think I look weird in this… right Mama?" Hinata asked.

Hitomi sighed through her nose and went over to comfort her eldest child. "No I think that the others would think you have done something very dashing, which you have, and also have the scars to prove it." She hugged the young heiress tightly in a motherly embrace. "And besides, it doesn't matter what people think of you on the outside, it is the inside that counts my dear. Do not forget that my flower."

Hinata nodded as she snuggled up in her mother's embrace. The young girl always felt safe in her mother's arms. She knew that as long as her mother was supporting her, she could do anything.

…

It was a little later in the morning and Hinata was being escorted by her uncle, Hizashi Hyuuga, and his son, Neji Hyuuga. Neji was very nice to Hinata and she was nice to him in turn. Ever since Hizashi had told his son of the day that Hinata had saved his life, Neji has been exponentially nice to the shy Hyuuga heiress. Neji had recently gotten branded but he didn't seem to care, he was glad that he was serving Hinata, Hitomi, and Hiashi. Not only were they nice to him, but Hinata would call him Big Brother Neji whenever the elders of the clan weren't around. Of course the young 7 year old lad was embarrassed and he kept berating Hinata to never call him that, but secretly he was glad that the young girl thought of him soo highly.

Right now, as they were making their way towards Konoha's Ninja Academy, Hinata was rambling on and on about what the Academy was like and how she would try to make herself stronger even though she thought of herself to be weak.

Hinata was wearing something different than her usual Hyuuga traditional kimono garb. Since she was going out and about the streets of Konoha, she decided to wear something that would help her freely move around since she would be training as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf very soon. She wore brown capri pants, blue sandals, and a dark green, hood-less jacket with a fire symbol on the upper-right side of her chest.

Neji wore a black mesh shirt that had a fishnet under shirt, black moveable pants and the standard blue sandals, a black scrunchie that held the end of his long dark brown hair, and gauze that was wrapped tightly around his forehead.

"Big Brother Neji, do you think the teachers will be nice or mean? Oh, and do you think I will make any friends? Will there be bullies there?" At the last question, Hinata's nose crinkled as if she had smelled something that was rotting.

Neji blushed at the nickname again. "L-Lady Hinata, for the last time I am not your Big Brother! Why do you even call me that?"

Hinata shrank a little and began playing with her fingers as a small, embarrassed blush came across her cheeks. "I've always wanted to have a Big Brother and you're sort of like a Big Brother and Papa and uncle Hizashi are brothers… so… I thought…" She trailed off as her blush grew on her face.

Hizashi was surprise. He surprised that Hinata had never told anyone of her desires of having an older sibling but mostly because Hinata called Hiashi her "Papa". As far as the head of the branch house knew, Hinata never called Hiashi "Papa"; she called him father majority of the time she has ever mentioned him.

_I have a feeling Hiashi will be elated that Hinata is much more open with him now…_ Hizashi thought as he smiled down at the girl warmly. _This revelation just proves it…_

Neji sighed through his nose and slapped a palm to his forehead. He was still sporting a blush but it had gone down to a smaller one now. "Fine, but please don't use it in public. It would seem unnatural for a main branch member, the heiress no less, to call a lesser branch member their _Big Brother_." He didn't know why, but Neji was a big sucker for Hinata. He had a major soft spot for her and he couldn't bring himself to completely crush her naïve ways.

Hinata nodded as she looked at him determinately. "Hai, Big Brother Neji!" She almost shouted and a few of the villagers turned to look in their direction from the mild commotion.

_She didn't even listen to a word I said…_ Neji grumbled as his blush washed over his face at full force now. His father on the other hand, was laughing heartily at his son's expense. He had no idea Neji could turn that color of red, his son kept himself isolated and didn't even want to interact with the few children that the Hyuuga's had in the compound. So you could image Hizashi's delight when he saw his son and niece getting along brilliantly.

After a few more yards of walking, and a few more yells and beratings from an annoyed Neji, the Hyuuga entourage finally arrived at Konoha's Ninja Academy. Already there were parents dropping off a few kids of their own and the children were running in the building excitedly as they went to fulfill their dreams as ninja.

"Alright, Lady Hinata, Neji," Hizashi said, gaining the two children's attentions. He suddenly reached into his kimono and pulled out two bento boxes, "here is your boxed lunches for the day. Please do not eat them until your teacher instructs you to do so. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai." They both answered in unison.

"Alright then," Hizashi smiled and took one of their hands into his own, "let's get you two inside, the bell will ring any minute." And with that, the man began leading the two Hyuuga children into the learning facility.

…

Hinata was walking with her uncle down the Academy's hallways with a little bit of nervousness etching her features. They had recently dropped off Neji to his assigned class. The boy wasn't at all nervous, being this was his second year at the Academy and he was an upperclassman than his cousin Hinata. So either way, Hinata and Neji would be together but in different classes.

Hinata looked at her uncle, wondering if he's ever been nervous before. "Uncle Hizashi?"

"Yes Lady Hinata?" Hizashi answered her while his eyes remained forward. Even though he wasn't focused on her, his lips twitched upwards into a warm smile. It was nice having Hinata call him uncle instead of calling him a servant like she was trained to do so.

"Have you ever been nervous before? L-Like were you ever nervous on your first day at the Ninja Academy?" Hinata asked him, her cheeks burning red as she looked at her feet shyly.

Hizashi chuckled as he remembered his first day of Ninja Academy. He was a bit nervous to start something new, but when he and Hiashi first came here, his older brother was much more scared than him at the time. "I guess you can say that. But your father was much more terrified than me when we first started our ninja careers at the Academy."

Hinata's eyes widened into the size of pancakes. "Papa was _terrified_?!" She couldn't believe it. Her father seemed so strong, stern, and lean. He rarely showed much emotion and Hinata always thought that the clanhead wasn't afraid of anything. So image her surprise when her uncle told him that her father was scared of… something!

Before Hizashi could initiate into the story of the past, he saw the young heiress' classroom approaching them fast. He smiled and looked down at her warmly. "I guess I will have to explain that story at another time my dear."

The bluenette was confused at first but that confusion quickly washed away once she saw the head of the branch house's hand reach out towards a sliding door. He pulled it open just as the bell sounded off. He went inside and pulled the shy Hyuuga girl along with him.

* * *

Iruka Umino was busy reading off the names that his new classroom held. He was a newly promoted teacher and it was his dream to help teach the future generation of ninja be ready for what the shinobi world held for them. Iruka was described as being both big-hearted, and soft-hearted. The reason being that in his past he took on dangerous missions seeing as he was a Chūnin. But he hated working in the dangers of taking upscale missions so he quit and became an instructor at the Konoha Ninja Academy instead.

Even though he was kind, he could also be stern when the situation called for it. And the man was also a determined and strong-willed individual with a kind disposition.

Iruka was a man of average height and build. He had brown hair that he kept in a ponytail, dark eyes, and a scar that ran across the bridge of his nose; which he had since his youth. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with a Forehead Protector, sandals, and a flak jacket. His sleeves are also rolled up about ¼ of the way.

He was just finished making all of his new students come up to the front and introduce themselves, and he was about to call the class into order and start the new lessons when he heard the classroom's door open.

The Chūnin craned his neck to see an older male, he was a Hyuuga judging from his white eyes, that had a semi-stern air about him, and he brought in a smaller Hyuuga girl with him. He walked towards the now nervous Umino with the small girl trailing close behind him.

"Are you the instructor of this classroom?" The taller male asked the brunette.

Iruka gulped. If he knew one thing, it was that no one should ever cross a Hyuuga; lest they find themselves in the hospital that same day. And the way the Hyuuga talked to him, Iruka assumed that he had a high ranks in the Hyuuga Clan, even though the man had a Forehead Protector covering his forehead. It looked as though he was from the branch house.

"Y-Yes…!" Iruka coughed to clear his throat of his shrill voice. "Ahem. I mean yes Hyuuga-san." Iruka replied to the man.

He gave a tiny nod towards him. "I am Hizashi Hyuuga, head of the Hyuuga's branch household," he suddenly gestured towards the little girl next to him, "this is my niece Hinata Hyuuga, heiress of the Hyuuga Clan and member of the main household."

The little girl named Hinata scuffled her feet a little as she stared at them shyly. She was bandaged up quite a bit as glanced at the brunette before giving him a small wave.

_A shy Hyuuga… Now that's a new one…_ Iruka thought as she looked at the girl for a moment before looking back at Hizashi when the man addressed him once more.

"As you can notice," Hizashi continued, "the head of the clan could not make it here because of important clan affairs. So I had to escort my niece personally," the leader of the lesser branch suddenly gave him a small bow, shocking Iruka immensely, "I am truly sorry we were not here on time."

Feeling thoroughly embarrassed and confused, Iruka scratched the back of his head with one hand while the other waved off the Hyuuga's strange and sudden politeness. "N-No no Hyuuga-san, it's quite alright, I mean things happen you know?"

Hizashi nodded slowly before narrowing his eyes a bit, making Iruka cringe in fear. "Do you mind if we converse outside, instructor? I have something I must tell you, for Lady Hinata's sake of course."

"Y-Yes of course!" Iruka stammered. He watched Hizashi kneel down to the shy girl's level while he smiled at her warmly.

"Now Lady Hinata, you must stay here while I go speak with your new sensei… Is that understood?"

"Hai, Uncle Hizashi." Hinata nodded.

Hizashi smiled at his niece before patting her head in a fatherly manner. "Oh, and I don't want you eavesdropping this time okay? You've been doing that a lot recently and it's not very ladylike to do so, do I make myself clear?" He said, giving her a knowing look.

Hinata blushed and her face contorted into a look like she had just been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Which… in a way was like that… sort of…? Hinata blushed horribly and looked down at her feet in shame as she teetered her weight on one foot before switching to the other. "H-Hai Uncle Hizashi…" She mumbled and began playing with her fingers.

He chuckled before standing up and dusting off his knees. "Right, lets us go instructor."

"Yes Hizashi-sama." Iruka complied before following the man outdoors. Once Iruka was out of the classroom, Hizashi closed the sliding door with a respective click.

"Now then," the Hyuuga matriarch of the branch said as he turned towards the brunette while he slipped his hands in his kimono's sleeves, "you must be contemplating over why my niece has those bandages wrapped around her body."

"Yes it has been bothering me ever since she entered the room." Iruka had watchful and piercing eyes. Nothing could elude him when he was really focused about something and put his mind to it. And the way he saw the tiny Hyuuga hobble in the room with restricted steps, it bothered him to no end. And his worry doubled over once he saw the little girl's condition.

Hizashi nodded slowly, pondering over whether or not he should trust this man with the past and dangerous events that happened a little over a month ago. When he saw the worry in the Umino's dark eyes, he knew that this man had a caring heart. "Well then tell me, have you heard of what happened at the Hyuuga Compound not too long ago?"

The Chūnin nodded his head. "Yes, you Hyuuga were attacked by the Head Ninja of Kumogakure correct?" He saw the man nod slowly and after a brief moment Iruka's eyes went wide. "Y-You mean Hinata was…!"

The pale-eyed man nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately it is so. Lady Hinata was caught in the incident but the thing is, she wasn't the one who was _attacked_, in a way."

Iruka was confused. "Huh? What do you mean by that Hyuuga-san?"

Hizashi sighed before telling his tale. "Lady Hinata was the one that did _the attacking_. She engaged the Head of Kumo when she saw her mother, Hitomi Hyuuga, at the mercy of that _vermin_ of a ninja." He spat the word "vermin" out in anger as he recalled the story thoroughly from his dearest sister-in-law. Even though it could have cost him his life, Hizashi wanted to kill that man himself. But alas, his older brother had beaten him to it. "Thus, making her acquire injuries from the battle."

"D-Did she… kill the man…?" Iruka asked lowly. Even though he was glad that one of his newest students was safe and alive and well, he couldn't bear to think that a 6 year old girl had gotten her first kill at such a young age.

"By heavens no," Hizashi said before rubbing his temples, "she was unconscious, courtesy of the Kumogakure ninja, but he was killed by my brother Hiashi Hyuuga."

"What a relief…" Iruka sighed in relief. The man was elated that the shy heiress hadn't committed her first kill and was even more so when she didn't see the man get killed right in front of her young eyes.

Iruka was going to ask the leader of the lesser branch another question when the two shinobi heard loud grumblings and murmurings from inside the classroom.

"Hmm, it seems your classroom is having an uproar, instructor." Hizashi said as he folded his arms with minor amusement etching his features.

"Aha… so it seems Hyuuga-san…" Iruka said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "And m-my name is Iruka Umino, Hyuuga-san."

Hizashi raised a brow. "So it seems."

Iruka felt his sweat drop as he hurriedly went towards the classroom door and slid it open. He was always nervous when he came into contact with some members of the Hyuuga Clan. They were always stern and didn't say much, but even more than that, they were _intimidating_. He shook his head and proceeded inside of the room in hopes of calming down his new class.

* * *

As soon as her uncle left the classroom, Hinata was met with the curious and judgmental stares of her soon-to-be-classmates. Hinata was standing in front of the classroom in a stiff posture with both of her hands clutching her bento box out in front of her. As she was being stared at, Hinata also did some of the staring at her new classmates as well.

All of them seemed really eager just like she was to start their first day of being introduced into the world of the shinobi. There were really pretty girls, rebellious boys, quiet people, loud people, and all of the above and more. As she was scanning the crowd with her huge lavender-tinted eyes, she caught a pair of black onyx eyes staring right back at her. The boy was fair-skinned who had piercing black onyx eyes (as stated previously) and black chin-length hair. His black hair was spiky in the back with bangs that hung above his eyes and reached a little over his jawline. He wore a simple long-sleeved black shirt with a raised collar and the Uchiha crest on the back, and white shorts with blue sandals.

Hinata noticed that the boy had quite a large sum of girls hanging around him. They were swooning over him with tiny hearts shining in their eyes as they would sometimes breathe out his name like it was the most heavenly sound in the world.

_So his name is Sasuke…? _Hinata thought curiously as she tilted her head to the side and continued to look at the boy, but this time she looked at him with curiosity. That is until something clicked inside of her mind. _Sasuke…?! As in Sasuke Uchiha…?!_ A while ago, when her mother was tucking her into bed at night, Hinata asked her if she had any friends. Hitomi said she had many friends but she only had two that were her best friends in the whole wide world. Hinata didn't recall their names but she did remember her mother mention that one of her friends had a son that was named Sasuke Uchiha. And Hinata was thoroughly confused by this revelation. It was a known fact that Hyuugas and Uchihas despised each other very much, both claiming they were the better of all of the clans in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Her mother told her it was true but there were some Uchihas in the Uchiha Clan that were really nice like her friend.

_So is he nice or is he… a rival…?_ Hinata narrowed her eyes a fraction of an inch as she observed the newly dubbed Sasuke Uchiha. So far, he didn't look like he was interesting or evil in her opinion, but she kept her eyes peeled. Even though Hinata has gained more confidence and the Hyuuga Clan has mellowed down a bit, she still wanted to uphold her clan's honor.

"So what's your name?" Hinata jumped once she heard someone address her. She looked away from the Uchiha boy and peered into the crowd to see a lone boy raising his hand high in the air for some unknown reason. He had messy brown hair, sharp black eyes with vertical slit-like pupils, and pronounced canine teeth. He also had distinctive red fang markings on his cheeks. By seeing those markings, Hinata assumed he was from the Inuzuka Clan that she had once read about in the Hyuuga Clan's library. He wore what looked to be a tan sweater, faded out blue shorts, and the common blue ninja sandals.

"M-My name is H-Hinata Hyuuga of the Hyuuga Clan. It is a pleasure to m-meet all of you." Hinata said bowing humbly, reciting greeting lines that she was drilled to do when she went to go meet other nobles and their families.

They murmured amongst themselves, thoroughly confused by her politeness. From what most of the children could decipher, mainly those from the Ninja Clans, the Hyuuga were a prickly bunch that didn't really show compassion towards others, just like the Uchiha Clan.

"Why are you wearing those bandages?" Another one asked. This time it was a girl and she looked to more of a civilian that of a child from a ninja clan, from what Hinata could conclude.

Hinata stiffened for a moment before answering the girl's question. "From a fight. A really bad man tried to abduct me so my Mama fought him before she got severely injured by him. So before he could hurt my Mama any further, I started to fight him myself until my Papa came and dealt with him." Hinata answered truthfully.

This caused the whole classroom to be filled with gasps. Then all of the children started to murmur amongst themselves, louder than before. They had never heard, much less seen, a child like them get hurt by an adult like she did (they don't know what most of the adults do to Naruto of course).

"Were you really scared?" Another girl asked.

Hinata nodded. "Yes I was, but no one was there to help Mama out but me. Not only had I had to fight the bad man to save my Mama, but my little baby sister too." This caused a much bigger uproar of whispers as the children turned towards one another to talk amongst themselves. Before anyone else could ask the bluenette more questions, Hinata suddenly turned and pointed a finger at the sole Uchiha boy in the classroom.

"You. You're an U-Uchiha right?" Hinata asked him.

Sasuke was really surprised at the girl in front of him. He had overheard the conversation with the two men stating that this girl that was named Hinata Hyuuga, was the heiress to the Hyuuga Clan. He was even more surprised that she had said that he bandages were battle scars from when she fought, from what it sounded like, a full-fledged ninja that was three times her size. He didn't admit and didn't like it… but he found himself slightly impressed by her.

And when she called him out on the spot, he very surprised to say the least. But he quashed that feeling and was annoyed when he thought the reason why she called him out was so she could proclaim his love to her. To him, girls were such fickle creatures.

"Yes. What's it to you, _Hyuuga_?" Sasuke spat out the name like it was disease ridden.

Hinata didn't miss the hostility in his voice and it made her blood rise slightly in anger. Her cheeks turned red and her hands were clenched into fists that were shaking in slight fury. "Well then, I think your clan needs to learn how to have some fun because th-their full of… th-their full of…" The young heiress didn't believe she was going to say a bad word, but this boy, this Uchiha, just happened to look at her mighty clan with contempt with no regard for them whatsoever. "… their full of meanies and stupidheads!" What, you thought she was going to swear? Sheesh, Hinata isn't like that people. Kehehe…

Sasuke widened his eyes. She didn't like the Uchiha Clan and she thought they were _stupid_? For a 6 year old, calling someone in the term of _"stupidhead_" is the ultimate offense and it makes the offendee get mad really easy.

"Hey you take that back right now Hyuuga!" Sasuke growled as he glared daggers at her while he clenched his fists.

"Wh-Why don't you make me Uchiha!" Hinata roared as she puffed out her cheeks in a cute but angry manner and glared right back at him.

They had a standoff with their eyes as the class looked on in shock. Never, ever, had they expected to see an Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan and a Hyuuga of the Hyuuga Clan get really riled up at each other so quickly. It was history in the making and the class was in a loud uproar. Sasuke's fan club was getting mad at Hinata for insulting their beloved's clan but Hinata didn't care. The heir insulted the heiress' clan and he was going to pay for it one way or another.

"All of your clan members are st-stupidheads and your family is stupid! And you look stupid you meanie!" Hinata shouted and then she stuck out her tongue at him as much as she could.

Sasuke felt his face heat up as this girl, this Hyuuga, was insulting him with unrelenting blow after blow. And she dare have the galls to stick her tongue out at him?! Now he was really angry. Sasuke jerked up from his seat and slammed his hands on the table.

"Y-You take that back right now or else you idiot!" Sasuke shouted at her, his pale cheeks heating up at being humiliated right in front of his new class.

Hinata gasped and her whole face was engulfed in red. "I-I-Idiot?! H-How dare you!"

Sasuke smirked inwardly as he had finally found a weak spot in the young girl's defense. "Yeah you're an idiot! All of you Hyuuga are idiots!"

"Are not!" Hinata protested.

"Are too!" Sasuke shot back.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

Hinata bristled before she pointed an accusing finger at the Uchiha heir. "W-Well, you Uchiha are dummies that make horrible decisions for the Leaf. A-And your p-police force st-stinks like poopy diapers!"

Sasuke ground his teeth together as his angry blush now begun to spread across his nose. "Do not!"

"Do too!" Hinata screamed as she waved her arms up and down like a bird while her hands were enclosed into fists.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

They both stopped suddenly so they could glare at their offender. The two royals were shaking in anger as they sized the other opponent up. "Idiot!" They both screamed simultaneously before looking away from each other with disgust. Hinata crossed her arms and faced the front door as she puffed out her cheeks cutely; while Sasuke sat back down in his seat and turned his head towards the window. They both had their eyes closed so they couldn't see the other and they both had small protruding veins that were pulsating on their foreheads.

And as if on cue, the classroom door slid open revealing Iruka and Hizashi as the two men both walked in the classroom. They were surprised to see the classroom whispering loudly amongst themselves and were equally surprised to see Hinata Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha looking like they were mad because they didn't get a toy they wanted.

Iruka didn't know why but he felt as if he missed out on something huge. Which he did. "Umm… what happened in here?" He watched as the classroom turned in his direction before one half pointed at Hinata and the other pointed at Sasuke. "Aha…"

This was going to be a long day for Iruka Umino…

…

After class, the students of Iruka were dismissed to their first recess at the Konoha Ninja Academy. Hinata had been told by her uncle that her mother was going to pick her up after school, much to her delight. And he had also told her to try and make friends, they would prove to be a great asset when she became a Genin.

Right now, Hinata was standing at the Academy's playground entryway holding a bouncy red ball in her hands. She had gotten the red ball by her new sensei, Iruka Umino. The shy Hyuuga heiress thought that the Chūnin was nice and considered him to be a great teacher. She was excited to learn things that she never had from her mother and father in the Hyuuga Clan.

"O-Okay!" Hinata said determinately as she scanned the playground that her classmates were occupying. "Now to find someone that's willing to play with me!" She looked around a bit more and saw a group of boys talking amongst themselves. She nodded again and made her way as fast as she could over to them.

"H-Hey, may I p-play with you?" Hinata asked, hope swelling inside of her.

They boys turned and looked at her before having sneering looks on their faces. "Ew, no way! We don't want to play with a _girl_! You might give us cooties or something!" They laughed and turned to walk away from the crestfallen Hyuuga girl.

Hinata looked at them angrily before sticking her tongue out them. _No matter! I will just find someone else to play with! Y-Yeah!_ Hinata thought with new found vigor filling up inside of her body. Hinata looked around again and this time saw three girls talking amongst themselves a few feet away from the Uchiha boy. No way was Hinata going to ask _him_ to play. After what he said about her clan, she'd sooner behead Mr. Dai… not that she was going to in any way.

Hinata ran up to them happily as they effectively cut their swooning and gossiping for a moment to stare at the heiress. "H-Hello!" Hinata greeted cheerfully. "Would you like to p-play with me?"

The three Sasuke fangirls scowled at the bluenette. "No way! After what you said to Sasuke, we'll never play with you!" Suddenly one girl slapped the ball out of Hinata's hands and kicked it hard somewhere else. "Go find someone else and stay away from Sasuke!"

"Ah!" Hinata screamed as she watched helplessly as her red ball flew off in a faraway direction. She rounded on the girls with her pale eyes blazing with childish fury. "W-Well you can keep y-your stupidhead Sasuke! I don't like him anyway!" And with that, Hinata stomped off towards where he ball went, leaving the three Sasuke lovers (or harpies in this case) looking after her with shock and anger.

Hinata scoured the play area high and low, looking for her missing ball. She was really depressed that none of the kids in her class wanted to play with her, and she was even more so seeing that she wouldn't make friends as easily as she thought she would. But nevertheless, she would try and try again to be as nice to her classmates as much as she could. Even if they were stupidheads and angered her a lot.

Hinata looked around for a little while longer until she spotted a portion of the round object sticking behind the tree. "There it is!" She exclaimed happily as she dashed over to her plaything as fast as she could. Once she made her way over, she spotted someone else holding it in their hands.

It was a boy, and he was sitting on the swing looking up at her with immense shock. He had the most golden and brightest set of short blonde locks the shy Hyuuga has ever seen. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and they seemed to pierce right into her very soul. His face held that childish roundness that all young children had, but it looked much more natural on him than another other child. And his cheeks, his cheeks had three cute whiskers marks on each one, making him look like a cute baby fox. He wore a simple short-sleeved plain white shirt that had an orange swirl in the center of the front, and it went along with blue shorts and blue sandals. Even though it was a simple attire, Hinata thought he looked absolutely dashing in it.

All in all, Hinata thought that the boy in front of her was adorable and cute.

She blushed horribly and found herself quickly looking down at her feet and shifting them in the dirt as she felt a huge wave of embarrassment crash down upon her. The bluenette was suddenly much more shy than usual, and she had no idea why.

She twiddled her thumbs and glanced at him before refocusing with the ground. "U-Umm…!" They both started simultaneously before clamping their traps up. Hinata's blush started to spread until it covered her ears and across the bridge of her nose. Her fidgeting increased as this time her knees started to buckle as if she was going to collapse any second now.

"Uhh, is this yours?" The boy asked her as he held out the bouncy red ball towards her.

"Y-Y-Yes…" Hinata squeaked as her head nodded vigorously. Hinata hesitantly reached out her small, pale hands towards the boy's tan, and slightly bigger ones. She placed her hands on the ball but not before his hands brushed against hers. Hinata gave out a small "Eep!" and quickly pulled her hands away from his along with the ball.

Her heart pounded against her pale hands as her face burned from the contact. What was happening to her? Why was she blushing so much? Why did she feel like her heart was going to fly out of her chest? Who was… this boy…? All of these thoughts flew out of her head as quickly as they came once the bluenette saw the boy's face.

His head hung as his piercing cerulean eyes started to fade from the life they had shown moments before. His face morphed into a look of… sadness…? Hinata didn't understand at first but she quickly figured that he was lonely and wanted someone to play with like she did.

She gulped but carried out with her plan nonetheless. "E-Excuse me?" The boy looked up at her. "W-Would y-you like to p-play with m-me?"

* * *

6 year old Naruto Uzumaki was having a crumby day. His morning started off as the usual. His latest prank was big and flashy as it had always been and he'd been chased by the ANBU, only for him to slip away unscathed. He was really happy that the Konoha Ninja Academy was starting its first day today, and he couldn't wait to showoff how strong he was to everybody else so they would stop scorning and disowning him. And he felt since he was starting to become a ninja, he would be one step closer to achieving his dream.

To become a Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

But that wasn't the bad part. When Naruto first exited his apartment that he obtained not too long ago when he was thrown out of the orphanage; he began walking down the main streets of Konoha. The villagers all whispered as he past, he was used to that, but the whispers today were especially hurtful. They would say "The demon brat is going to the Academy." And "He shouldn't become a ninja because of the little demon he is." Or "What's the Hokage thinking, sending such a _thing_ towards children?! For all we could know, he might kill them all!" And the whispers continued.

Naruto just didn't understand why they hated him soo much. What did he ever do to them? And why did they call him a demon? As far as he knew, he wasn't one and didn't look like one. So why did the villagers constantly scorn him for something he had no clue about? He didn't know and he didn't want to care, but his mind couldn't help but circulate around these questions that he didn't have an answer to.

And once the blonde lad had entered the Academy, he was met with something that stung him even more that the villagers hurt words. The families that were sending off their kids into building. His heart ache painfully at the sight. He desperately wanted to have a family, he desperately wanted to be loved as he had heard, and he desperately wanted to have friends like all of the other kids had. But everyone denied him that because he was labeled… different…

Naruto walked past the families and heard their hateful words that were filled with smite. It made him sulk even lower and his heart ache more so.

But another upside was that his new teacher, that was named Iruka Umino, was really nice to him. But the blonde boy couldn't help but notice that the man was always nervous around him, like Naruto had a horrible illness of something.

_So he's like them… isn't he…? _Naruto thought as his eyes drooped even further. It was yet another question he didn't have an answer to.

When it was recess, Naruto was more than happy that he was out of that classroom. Mainly because he hated lectures and was never good with written stuff. He failed the Academy three times already and this would be his fourth time participating at the building again. He was confident that he would pass this time even though others would say he wouldn't. He didn't care what they said because nothing would deter him from his dream of becoming Hokage.

Anyway, Naruto started to ask around his classmates if they wanted to play with him. The Uzumaki had heard and seen of this "playing", but he's never actually tried it before.

And when he did ask around, of course all of the kids denied his request. They would always say that their parents told them to stay away from him like he was the plague, and of course being the children they were, they heeded their parents words and complied with their wishes like they didn't have a brain for themselves. Bunch of idiots.

So Naruto sulked and went over to his favorite spot which was a lone swing connected to a lone tree that faced the Konoha Ninja Academy and its students. He sat down and began pushing back and forth on it with very little force.

_What'd I do to deserve this…?_ Naruto thought sadly as tears threatened to make itself known in the blonde's beautiful blue eyes. _Why do they hate me so much…?! _He was about to cry silent tears when he felt something probe against his leg.

"Huh?" He looked down and saw a red ball resting against his leg. He picked it up and curiously looked at it. He gave it a dribble and the ball bouncy high in the air before Naruto neatly caught in his tan hands. _It's a bouncy ball…_ His lips twitched upwards a little before it stretched into a full blown grin. _Cool…_ His grin suddenly washed away when he heard heavy footsteps make his way over to him.

Once they were here, Naruto looked up to see a girl staring right back at him. She had dark blue hair that was cut princess hemi-cut style and had two long strands that reached a little over her jawline. She had bandages wrapped around her arms and some on half of her fingers, and had bandages that were plastered on her face. She was panting a little as she looked at him and Naruto looked at her curiously.

Naruto was confused when he saw the girl's cheeks turn red before she looked down at the ground and began to fidget in front of him. His head tilted to the side as his face took on his infamous closed-eyes expression. "U-Umm…!" They both started out before shutting up their mouths again. The blonde hadn't expected that they both speak out at the same time. He was usually the one that started the yell— I mean, _talking_ first.

Naruto squinted his closed eyes some more at her (if that was possible), as he tried to remember the shy girl in front of him. His brain's gears started to slowly spin as he suddenly perked up in realization… Took him long enough…

_H-Hey! She's that girl that stood up to that Sasuke bastard! _Naruto thought as he grinned his foxy grin at her. _Finally, a girl that isn't obsessed with that jerk! _He stopped grinning when he saw the bluenette give nervous glances at the ball in his hand. _It must be hers…_

"Uhh," Naruto began again as he held out the ball towards her, "is this yours?"

"Y-Y-Yes…" The girl squeaked out and she reached out for the ball in Naruto's hands. He didn't notice that his hands brushed against hers, he was too much of a dunce to realize it (sorry people but I know that you know it's true). But he was distraught when she yanked the ball away from him like he was going to steal it from her or something.

Naruto looked crestfallen that the only person that had _actually_ come up to him and _talked_ to him _without_ insulting him, also treated him like he was garbage.

His sulking didn't last long as it usually would on this day.

"E-Excuse me?" Naruto looked up at her with sad but slightly confused eyes. "W-Would y-you like to p-play with m-me?" She asked him.

It was then Naruto felt as if time had stopped. His head had whipped up so fast, he almost had a whiplash and his neck made several popping noises. His blue eyes widened with shock and immense surprise as the girl stared right back at him with a red face, but a friendly smile.

All his life Naruto has always wanted to be around someone. And this girl was offering just that on a silver platter. His heart drummed loudly in his ears and his spirits soared and yet… he couldn't help but feel a little skeptical of her and her offer…

Naruto had that infamous closed-eyed expression again with his bottom lip poking out as if he was thinking _really_ hard about something. After a long bout of silence, the blonde Uzumaki spoke once again.

"Are you sure you want to play with _me_? I mean, don't you have someone else to play with you?" Naruto asked as he scratched his head in confusion despite feeling a twinge of regret in his words.

He expected to see her change her mind and walk away from him, but yet again, the weird girl (in his book) shook her head and gave him another friendly smile. "No," she replied honestly, "I-I tried to ask some of other kids if they could p-play with me, b-but they all said n-no because I-I was a girl or I was weird…" Her smile faltered a bit as she stared at the ground sadly.

Naruto opened his eyes and stared at the girl with heartfelt pity as he watched her look at the ground with a remorse expression that he knew all too well. After all, he had displayed expression for as long as he could remember.

_So in a way… she's just like me… _Naruto thought. He was sad that no one would play with her, but he was also happy that he finally had someone who shared his feelings and knew what his pain was like, to _some_ degree of course.

"B-But…!" Naruto blinked as he looked back at her only to see the girl have a somewhat annoyed expression on her face as she looked off into a different direction. Naruto raised a brow in confusion before leaning forward a little past the tree that was blocking his view to see that Sasuke was being surrounded by girls at his beck and call.

"I certainly didn't ask _him_ to play with me!" The little girl hissed, making Naruto flinch a little in fear. "That stupid poopyhead is a meanie and I hate meanies!" She screamed loud enough for the Uchiha boy to hear… which he did…

Sasuke looked back over his shoulder to see that bratty Hyuuga and that loser Naruto (in his eyes anyway) staring right back at him. The Hyuuga suddenly stuck out her tongue out at him and pulled down a lower eyelid on one of her eyes and she began waggling her tongue teasingly at the Uchiha heir.

_That Hyuuga..!_ He growled as he began shaking in anger. They two royals glared at each other for a few moments before they quickly turned away from each other with annoyed expressions on their faces.

Naruto looked back and forth at the two before bursting out into a fit of laughter. Never in his young life has he seen Sasuke Uchiha, _Sasuke Uchiha_, get so riled up by a _girl_. This was from the guy that declared the raven-haired boy was his rival and fought him numerous of times before they entered the Academy this day.

He laughed so hard that he fell out of the swing with tears splaying across his face. He also heard the girl giving her own bout of giggles but he was too preoccupied by his own laughter. After they both calmed down a bit, Naruto took back his position of sitting on the swing, but this time he had a huge grin that was slapped across his face.

"Oh man, that was golden! You're pretty awesome for a girl!" Naruto complemented in his own weird but cute way.

The girl blushed horribly and her feet began to play with one another. "Th-Thank you… Umm… Uhh…" Naruto blinked a few times before his brain finally clicked.

"Oh right my name!" Naruto cleared his throat and jabbed a thumb at his chest as he puffed it out with a lopsided grin stretching upon his lips. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm going to be Hokage one day, believe it!"

He saw the girl giggle with one of her small and pale hands covering her lips. He was slightly annoyed that she was laughing at him, but he stopped when she had gotten a reign over her giggles before she addressed him again.

"M-My name is Hinata Hyuuga and I'm going to lead my c-clan with peace among the two houses when I become clanhead…" She suddenly smiled at him with a cute blush on her cheeks as she tilted her head slightly to the side. "And I _do_ believe it that you'll become Hokage one day… Na-Naruto."

Naruto blinked in surprise as he stared at the newly dubbed Hinata in surprise. He had never had one person in the village to believe him and his dreams, but he had just met he and already she believed him. He looked at her dubiously, detecting if she was lying or not, but he found no lies or disgust in her smile. It was genuine, it was pure, it was… true…

Naruto felt warm. _Really_ warm. As if there was a gentle fire that was licking at his insides and it made him feel great all over. He liked it. He _really_ liked it. For the first time in his life, Naruto felt an unfamiliar warmth spread across his cheeks. He didn't know why, but he felt very embarrassed right now. So to hide his embarrassment, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and began to laugh for no apparent reason.

But he felt like laughing. He felt like smiling. And he felt like… he was being cared for…

He suddenly felt a tug on his hand and looked to see Hinata pulled on it. "Come on," She said as she struggled to get him off of the swing, "l-let us go p-play Naruto. R-Recess doesn't last f-forever."

Naruto blinked a few times before snapping out of it and grinning at his new playmate. "Yeah sure Hinata! C'mon let's go!" He quickly stood and began pulling her along as the ran away from the lonely setting that was the tree and the swing.

And on that same day that swing was never sat on again…

…

After recess the class had lunch. Naruto had a really run day that day, and he's smile was even brighter than it usually was; much to the annoyance of most and the joy of a few. Hinata had showed him many games that he's seen and some that he's never heard of. Most of the games he hadn't heard of were made up by Hinata herself, but they were still fun to play in his eyes.

One game was called "Kick the Can" which was like a game to see he could kick the an empty can the farthest; however kicked it the farthest without that persons can getting caught, was the winner. But since they didn't have a can they had to use the bouncy red ball, and of course being the determined one he was, Naruto won most of the rounds.

Another game was called "Ninja", it was a game where two or more players chose a Hidden Village and they went against each other to try and bring the other "village" down. In this game, Hinata won majority of the rounds because of her training and flexibility as a Hyuuga and her odd, but effective climbing skills. Naruto was mad but he wasn't angry too long.

One of the games that Hinata made up was called "Heiress' Orders". In this game Hinata was the leader and all of the players had to do her bidding. Naruto, since he was one of the two players, had to do whatever she said and wasn't angry or annoyed with it at all. It was actually pretty fun for him. The reason being because the duo mostly got to tease Sasuke. For instance, on one order, Hinata decreed that she ride on Naruto's back and that she bring him to Sasuke. He complied and once they got over, she "ordered" him to stick his tongue out at the Uchiha with her. They both did and gave him the stink eye at the same time. This caused Sasuke to shout at them as the two masters-of-crime ran away while they both laughed hysterically.

Thus, making Naruto have one of the best days in his young life.

Right now the Uzumaki was waiting at the playground entryway doors for the Hyuuga girl to finish getting her bento box out from the classroom and come back outside so they could decide at which picnic table they should sit at. He didn't have a lunch with him because he forgot to by one at the ramen stand.

Since Naruto was considered a bane to majority of the villagers existence, he was been band from almost every store in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The _only_ food place that he is allowed to eat at is the Ichiraku Ramen stand… well that and maybe Yakunichi Q's Barbeque.

"Oi, Naruto!"

Naruto craned his neck to see Kiba Inuzuka of the Inuzuka Clan come running over to the blonde boy. The reason why the Uzumaki knew the brunette was because sometimes they did pranks together when Naruto was planning to prank the Inuzuka Clan. They would both get in a whole heap of trouble but it was still fun seeing the distressed looks of the tracking and hunter clan.

Naruto really didn't know if he and Kiba were friends. I mean sure they did do a lot of pranks together, but they also wanted the same goal of becoming Hokage. Kiba had told him himself when Naruto boasted out that he wanted to be Hokage when he grew up. So Kiba was his rival but also a pranking buddy… Naruto considered him to be a person he talked to a lot, but not a friend.

"What're you doing here Kiba?" Naruto asked as her put his arms behind his head and linked his fingers together as he stared at the Inuzuka boy with his closed-eyes.

"I should be askin' you the same thing, idiot!" Kiba groused as he stood in front of the hot-blooded blonde with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Whatcha doing over here by the door? Got in trouble by the sensei?" He sneered as he smirked at Naruto with a feral look in his eyes.

If there was one thing Kiba was right about, it was that Naruto was hot-blooded. After all, he _was_ an Uzumaki. "Hey you take that back right now dog-breath!"

Even though the Inuzuka wasn't as hot-blooded as the hyperactive whiskered boy, he was close enough to it though. Kiba grabbed the hem of his collar and yanked at it so the blonde could get closer into the brunette's face. "What did you say you idiot?!" He yelled as a vein burst on his forehead.

"You heard me dog-breath! You wanna get your clock cleaned out by me?!" Naruto growled as he too grabbed onto Kiba's collar and pulled a fist back at the ready.

"Ha! As if you could beat me you no-clan!" Those words hit home and it stung Naruto's heart multiple times like he was getting repeatedly stung by a yellow-jacket.

The blonde ground his teeth together and raised his angry fist up higher as his grip on the Inuzuka Clan heir's collar tightened. "What didja say?! You wanna go?!" Naruto screamed into the boy's face.

"Yeah! Let's! I've been meaning to—!" Kiba was cut off when he felt a tapping on his side. Naruto stopped his fuming once he felt a tapping on his side as well. The two distraught and angry males turned their heads to the side to see little Hinata looking back up at them with her huge pale eyes. She had a bento box in her hands as she stared at them with a blank expression.

"Hinata?" Naruto said looking thoroughly confused at her impassive facial expression.

"New girl?" Kiba said, equally confused.

She didn't say anything but just clamped her mouth over the carefully made knot that the dark purple cloth that shielded her bento box provided. The heiress suddenly made a monkey pose and then a chicken pose.

"What the…?" The two rivals said as they watched their new classmate preform outrageous and random poses in front of their eyes. As they watched, Hinata made a crab pose with her hands clipping them together like pinchers. All of a sudden, without warning, Hinata's "pinchers" lunged out and took a hold of one of Naruto's and Kiba's cheeks. She pinched them hard and gave them a hard tug. The two boy's yelped out in pain and nursed their cheeks once Hinata finished delivering their punishments.

She opened her mouth and let the bento box fall into her hands. _**"Hinata's Style: Pinching Crab of Punishment!"**_ She said lowly as she watched the two boys writhe around in pain as they continued to nurse their slightly red cheeks.

"Hey what the hell new girl?!" Kiba screamed as he pointed an accusing finger at her. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"Y-You g-guys were about to fight so I had to stop you." Hinata got into her crab pose again but this time she started to shift around like a crab while one of her "pinchers" held her bento box. "That's my new jutsu…" She suddenly looked at Kiba and Naruto with a glooming and scary look that sent chills up their spine. "…you want me to do it again…?"

"N-N-No!" They both gulped nervously as they back away a few steps from the Hyuuga heiress.

She stared at them with her gloomy look for a few more moments before her facial expression turned bright, cheery, and shy a second later. "G-Good! Now c-come on N-Naruto we have to go e-eat. You're welcome to join us if y-you want Kiba." She said while she tugged Naruto along towards a picnic table.

"U-Umm… sure…" The dog lover said as he started to follow the duo towards an empty picnic table that wasn't that far away.

After settling down a bit and waiting for Kiba to get his bento box and coming over to join the duo, the three soon-to-be companions began to eat their lunches; with Hinata giving Naruto's half of hers. Since Hinata was from a wealthy family and a prestigious clan, Hinata always had large lunches that she never finished and had to save for leftovers. But since Naruto didn't have any, Hinata was more than willing to give him half of hers.

Naruto was elated and yet astounded at the big meal he was getting. One look at the bento box as it was set down upon the table and it made the blonde's eyeballs almost pop out of his sockets. It was huge. It was probably the most biggest lunch he has ever received in his life.

His mouth drooled as the delectable substance that was gifting his eyes of looking at. Hinata's bento box came with a top that she scooped out his half into with chopsticks. It had mounds of rice, sausages that were shaped into flowers, a few sushi that were falling like small wheels on his rice, and an eggroll that was longer than his middle finger. All in all, it was a heavenly sight for our beloved whiskered boy.

It seemed as Kiba agreed with him as the Inuzuka was also drooling with his tongue hanging out at the sight of the flower shaped meat.

Naruto gulped as he tried to get a reign over his hunger. It didn't help as his stomach began to grumble loudly at the sight of this banquet of a meal. "A-Are you sure I can have this much food?" Naruto asked Hinata as he looked up at her for a moment before looking back at the food.

"Of course!" Hinata blushed as she giggled at the hungry expression on Naruto's face. "I-I can never eat as much as my f-family provides me so it'll be nice that this food will be eaten fresh instead of being a leftover meal." She glanced at the salivating brunette as he had not taken his sharp eyes off of her sausages once. Hinata giggled again and began giving all over the flowered shaped sausages over to the boy's own bento box. "Here K-Kiba, you can have my sausages. I'm not a big fan of meat anyway."

"R-Really?! I-I can?!" Kiba stammered as he looked up at her with wide eyes. Hinata smiled and nodded and clasped her hands together in silent prayer before getting her chopsticks and begin eating.

The boys just looked at the food before looking at each and then looking over to Hinata. Sensing their eyes on her, Hinata looked up to see their confused yet surprised expressions again. "W-Well go on," Hinata prodded the two with a wave of her chopsticks, "e-eat up. You d-don't want the food to sp-spoil do you?"

They both shook their heads and stared at the food in w very hungry manner. "Itadakimasu!" They both practically screamed to the top of their lungs and began scarfing down their food at a breakneck speed.

_Oh man, this food is just too good!_ Naruto thought happily as he shoveled more food so his cheeks could be filled up. He gulped everything that was in his mouth down in one fell-swoop. And again the whiskered boy continued to shovel in food in his eating hole_. Hinata has this good stuff and doesn't even eat _all_ of it?! Who could resist a great meal like this?!_

Unbeknownst to him, Hinata was watching him with amused and bashful eyes. She didn't know why, but being close to the blonde made her feel much more happier than she has ever been in her entire life. And when he would occasionally glance at her and give her a goofy grin before stuffing his face again, Hinata felt as if she was on cloud nine. He seemed like he would make a good friend… friend… friend…?

Hinata pondered that lone word in her head. Were they friends? They had just met today but it seemed like they were good friends since birth. She would have to ask him later on when she had the chance.

Even though he was stuffing his face, Naruto did wonder why the shy Hyuuga heiress was being so nice to him when the just met. _It's weird…_ He thought as he slowed his chewing to glance at her. _It's like she treats me like a friend or something…_ He stopped chewing all together when his eyes widened in surprise as he replayed that thought in his head over and over.

… _Are we even friends…? _Naruto contemplated over that single thought for a brief moment before the yummy smelling aroma of his lunch wafted around his nostrils. The blonde lad ignored his previous thought as he continued to stuff his face. _Oh well, I'll just ask about it later…!_

* * *

Hinata was waiting for her mother with Naruto right by her side. Kiba had gone home before them and she had asked Naruto if he would be willing to stay with her and meet her mother; he was hesitant at first, but he agreed not long after that. They were both standing at the front of Konoha Ninja Academy's entryway and Hinata was fidgeting a little while Naruto held his hands behind his head while he tapped his foot impatiently against the ground.

The bluenette kept sneaking glances at the blonde while her cheeks turned a pretty shade of red. _Wh-Why am I like this when I'm around Naruto…?_ She thought as she took another glance before focusing on her wiggling fingers that were intertwining and unraveling now and then. _He's just a re-regular boy…_ The heiress fidgeted some more before looking back up at him. And what happened next really took her breath away.

Then setting sun seemed to sit atop of the blonde's locks, making them flare out in an exotic stream golden of light. A gentle breeze bellowed his hair, creating a cascading array of sun-kissed beams of light as the Uzumaki's hair shifted gloriously in the wind. It was wild, it was free, and it was beautiful. Then the young girl looked at his eyes that focused towards the streets. His eyes. His eyes. Eyes that weren't closed in his infamous fashion, but eyes that showed much depth as if they had seen all of the world and what it had to offer. Eyes that were as deep as the ocean but held an exuberant yet gentle existence in them. Eyes that were strong, and eyes that were true.

The kind girl blushed as she found herself being lost in the lonely boy's eyes. It was as if she was drowning in a sea of blue but as she was drowning, the cerulean sea hugged and caressed her skin as if she was made of glass. Her lavender-tinted eyes searched his blue ones of anything false, anything faulty, but found none in the least. Those eyes held pureness and they held the truth.

Naruto blinked as he felt the hairs of his neck stand up straight and tall. He looked down at Hinata; he was taller than her by a few inches after all and saw her staring straight at him, without being sheepish at the fact that she was staring at him for an awfully long time. And once he saw her face, his eyes immediately caught hers.

Her eyes. Her eyes. They were pupiless, yes, but they held much more beauty than any other eyes he had ever seen… Well… as far as he knew anyway… But those pale eyes that all in her family had, her eyes were different. They held color, they held light. They were the beautiful color of the flower that rose high and proud in the spring. But her eyes did not held arrogance as her family did. No, they held kindness. Compassion. Care. Gentleness. And most of all, they held love. Love for which not the blonde lad understood, love for which not he did not know how to feel.

But he felt warm.

Yes, a warmth that exploded throughout his entire being and it made his toes curl at the feeling. Literally. The young male soul found himself getting lost, for the first time, in someone else's eyes. Those eyes that were like a meadow of beautiful and rare flowers that had suddenly made itself known in the world without warning. They were gratifying. They were humbling. Those eyes were the definition of _beautiful_.

The girl could not speak just as the boy could not either. The girl's face turned red as she looked away from the boy and bit on a finger in embarrassment. The boy felt an overwhelming wave of disappointment as he could no longer look into the girl's eyes. The girl felt the same but was too ashamed of saying so.

The girl tried to turn her back on the boy but he wouldn't let her. The blonde grabbed the bluenette's hand before she could complete her embarrassed act. She was shocked at his actions, but looked but into those eyes once again with a pink face. He stared right back into those lovely eyes he got lost in them, only to lose his words that he wanted to speak.

He felt that warmth again.

That warmth that spread all inside of his innards, that warmth that filled him with glee… That warmth that made him feel things that the boy didn't understand. It returned, but it only warmed his cheeks. His cheeks that began to burn hotter and hotter until his ears burned as well.

The girl looked at the boy as he looked right back. She saw his face, but was surprised to see a hue of pink stain his tan cheeks and ears. The kind girl thought that her counterpart always seemed like the type that would never blush. But here he was, right her in front of her, displaying a small blush of his very own right in front of her young eyes. And she realized, she must have had some sort of hand in it. She watched as he was about to say something when another voice beat him to it.

"Hello there Hinata, are you ready to go home my flower?" The two children jumped as their hearts quickened their pace and their blushes turn dark red.

Hinata felt Naruto quickly let go of her hand as he stuffed it inside of his pockets in a flash. She felt an immense twinge of disappoint and for once in her life, wished her mother wasn't here right now. "H-Hello Mama and ye-yes I am but…" The heiress gestured shyly to the boy next to her who was sweating bullets as he smiled a cheesy smile. "… this is a c-classmate of mine and his n-name is Na-Naruto Uzumaki. H-He played w-with me at recess t-today."

Hitomi smiled at Hinata's soon-to-be-friend but then gasped once she recognized his face and who he was. "Naruto? Little Naruto?!" Hitomi yelled excitedly as she quickly kneeled down in front of the now confused children with a slap-happy smile on her face. "It's been soo long! Do you remember me?"

Naruto shook his head. He did expect her to know who he was, but he didn't expect her to be so happy about his identity. "Uhh, no I don't. Who the heck are ya?" The little boy asked rudely as he looked at her quizzically with his eyes squinted in his infamous eye expression.

Hitomi laughed heartily at the boy's crude behavior. Yep, the boy definitely had his mother's antics. "Ha ha ha! You remind me soo much of your mother, Naruto. It's uncanny but it's flattering at the same time."

Hinata looked at her mother with mild confusion while Naruto looked at the woman as if she had suddenly sprouted a second head. "Y-You knew my mom?!" Naruto shouted with disbelief and a glimmer of hope shinning in his young blue eyes.

"Of course I did, she was a really good friend of mine. We used to be on the same Genin team when were 12 years old." The gentle Hyuuga matriarch sighed as she recalled good memories of her past.

Hinata's eyes widened in realization. So the other best friend her mother mentioned was Naruto's mother! It was a real surprise seeing as new feelings were beginning to arise in her body and it made her happy to know that her mother and her soon-to-be-realized-crush's mom were great friends.

"Can you tell me about her? What was she like? Was she pretty? Did she like ramen? Did she like pranks? Was she a really strong ninja?!" Naruto suddenly stopped for a second before continuing his onslaught of questions. "Oh, what was my dad like? Was he strong? Was he cool?"

"Maa, maa, Naruto," Hitomi giggled as she held up her hands for quiet and to ease the boy down a bit, "I'll tell you everything I promise. But in order to do that, you need to come with us for dinner, how's that sound?"

Naruto gasped in shock. No one has ever invited him over to their homes before. They would always scorn him or spit at him telling him that a demon of his kind aren't allowed to come into other people's home. To be allowed to live in a home in fact. So when Hinata's mom offered him into their home, he was truly shocked. He looked at Hinata who was just smiling and nodding for him to take the offer.

So he did.

Hinata was elated that she would be spending more time with Naruto. She didn't know why but it made her very happy to be in his presence. She felt very safe when she was near him and it made her feel… all warm and tingling inside and she… liked… it…

As they trekked towards the Hyuuga establishment, with the sun sinking low behind them, Hinata suddenly realized something. Something very important. "Mama, what about Big Brother Neji? Wasn't he supposed to be with us at pickup time?"

"Ah yes, you didn't know? Neji got off early from the Academy an hour earlier before you two did." Hitomi replied as she took the two children by the hands and pulled them along. "He told us that when he made his way back home by himself. I was very surprised by that and your uncle nearly had a heart attack when Neji informed us that he walked in the streets alone without any adult supervision to aid him." Both Hitomi and Hinata giggled. Seeing the usually level-headed and collective Hizashi Hyuuga nearly go berserk was indeed a rare sight to see.

"Umm," Naruto began as he interrupted the two females' merriment, "who's this Neji and Hizashi?" He asked.

Hitomi just smiled. "Don't worry little Naruto, you'll see them soon enough. Although, I will tell you a little bit about them along the way." And then the Hyuuga matriarch began describing who they were and other members of the Hyuuga Clan.

* * *

_Next time on Changes for the Better: Dinner, the Hyuuga Elders, and the Uchihas: Oh my!_

* * *

**YES! YES! AND MORE YES! Ladies and Gent's, I am finally finished with chapter 2 of _Changes for the Better!_ I have absolutely NO idea when I'm gonna get back on the Evolution of Love, I felt as I did a major EPIC FAIL on that one. Soooo…. It's gonna be on HIATUS until I can get my act together. IN THE MEAN TIME PLASE BEAR WITH ME PEOPLE! I'm soo random I have no idea what to do sometimes…..**

**Anwayzzz…. OH YEAH! I almost forgot, on chapter#2 I need YOUR HELP! Do you think I should:**

**At the Uchiha part of the story, should it just be Hinata and Sasuke's rivalry blooming when just Hinata and her mother visits the Uchiha Clan?**

**Or B) Let Naruto join in the fun and go along with Hinata when she and her mom go to meet Sasuke's family?**

**ALLRIGHT! I thank you dudes immensely for all of your reviews and hard work in giving me advice for my stories. They've really helped me along with all of your motivational comments… YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! KK, you dudes please please ****PLEASE**** review and if it's a degrading review of my story then… could you maybe dial it down so it won't be nasty and hateful?**

**Alright you fun-loving readers, I thank you and if you have sneezed through this whole thing then GOD BLESS THINE FACE AND AMERICA! HA HA! Alright seriously, I'll see you guys in the next story…**

**Byyhiiii!**


	3. Dinner, Hyuuga Elders, and Uchihas

**Dinner, the Hyuuga Elders, and the Uchihas: Oh my!**

…

_Thinking/ Indention/ Flashbacks/ Fantasies/Dreams_

**Kyuubi talking to Naruto in mindscape/ Naming a jutsu/ Bold indention**

_**Kyuubi talking telepathically to Naruto/ Calling out a jutsu/ Bold indention**_

…

**HEY HEY HEY MY AWESOME READERS! Tis I, THE GREAT AND ALL POWERFUL SORECESS: THE OPEN-EYED DAY DREAMER! Haha, didja guys like that? I just add-libbed a bit! : 3**

**Anyway! I have read your reviews and the answer has been decided of my question to you peoples! NARUTO. WILL. JOIN. HINATA. Srry to those that wanted Hinata to be alone when she went to go see the Uchihas with her mom, but majority rules and I have to abide by those rules (PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!).**

**So thank you dudes and dudettes again and PLEASE ENJOY THE STORY! ^/^**

…

It was early evening and the sun sank further into the horizon creating beautiful hues of orange, crimson, and purple. Many of the villagers were turning in as it was getting late, leaving alone a few to roam the streets of Konohagakure. Among them were three figures that consisted of Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, and Hitomi Hyuuga as they were getting ever closer to the prestigious compound that was the Hyuuga Clan.

Naruto and Hinata were chatting animatedly as Hitomi listened in with a happy smile on her face, and added her own input when she was asked something by the two children. Naruto had recently discovered that Hizashi Hyuuga was Hinata's uncle and Neji Hyuuga was Hinata's cousin but she sometimes called him her "Big Brother". Hitomi explained once you got pasted their semi-rough exterior, they were really nice people.

The blonde felt reassured because the way she had described them, they seemed like really strict guys that really unsettled him. But when she explained about Hinata's father, he was even more unsettled when the man didn't show nearly as much emotion as his brother and nephew did.

But Hinata had reassured him that her father was really nice which helped the boy, but he was still unnerved by the powerful clanhead. As they talked, Naruto found out that he and Hinata had a lot of things in common. She liked to talk about her dream as clanhead like he was with his dream of becoming Hokage, she ate a lot like Naruto did with ramen when it came to cinnamon rolls, and she liked to go on adventures though it was with her stuffed bear: Mister Dai, and she liked to train a lot just like he did.

But what really made the blonde Uzumaki really like Hinata was the fact that she was constantly looked down upon by the Hyuuga Clan's Elders, just like he was with the village. Sure she didn't go through what he had to go through every day, but she had felt the same pain like he did. Hinata and her mother explained how the Hyuuga Elders deemed Hinata weak, even though she was improving with her **Gentle** **Fist** **Style**. They never gave the bluenette the time of day to show them her training, and constantly bugged Hiashi that she be branded with the **Caged** **Bird** **Seal** and thrown into the branch house. They told the young girl that her gentle nature reflected badly to the clan and only slowed down her progress as she trained in the Hyuuga arts. Every day they would berate her and call her mean names like "weakling" or "disgusting" or other names like that, and it made little Hinata cry every time they did that.

It made Naruto extremely mad that the first person in his life, besides the Old Man Hokage, was being picked on and it was by her own family no less. It made his blood boil and his lips curl as he gave a low growl in the back of his throat.

"To hell with that!" Naruto screamed as he stopped walking and looked down at his feet with his piercing blue eyes narrowing. "Nobody's gonna pick on my new friend with that kinda crap! If they're gonna pick on her then I'll beat up every last one of them 'till they say sorry to Hinata!"

Hinata stared at the blonde boy in shock while Hitomi's eyes widened before she smiled at him. The Hyuuga heiress tried to wrap her mind around what Naruto said. They were… friends? He didn't think she was weird like the others? He didn't think she was weak like she was told by the Elders?

Naruto didn't notice her shocked expression but he walked up to her and gripped her shoulders. This action made her blush but the blonde was naturally oblivious to it. "Hinata, you were the first person ever to be my friend and I ain't gonna let those mean old farts hurt you. If they try to, they're gonna have to get through me first, believe it!" Naruto then gave her a confident grin as he let her go and patted his bicep.

_I-I'm the first person to be N-Naruto's friend…?_ Hinata thought as she stared at the boy with immense shock. She had never known that Naruto didn't have any friends. To her, he seemed like the person to make friends easily. But as she thought about it, she remembered seeing parents herd their kids away from him as both the children and the parents glare at him; but the parents' glares were much more hate-filled.

Hinata ignored the problem for now and paid her attention back to Naruto. Her cheeks turned deep red as she started to shuffle her feet shyly on the ground. "I-I trust you N-Naruto… and th-thank you for letting me be your f-friend."

Naruto's grin widened as he placed his hands behind his head. "No problem Hinata! I like people like you anyway." He began to walk again as he had a huge amount of happy peps in his steps. "Now let's get goin'! I'm starving!"

While Naruto was walking, Hinata was frozen in her spot as her huge lavender-tinted eyes grew wide. She began to replay that particular sentence in her brain over and over again.

_I like people like you anyway… I like people like you… People like you… Like you… __**I**__**like**__**you**__…_ At that last thought, Hinata's face exploded into a dangerous shade of crimson as steam started to bellow out of her ears. She began to feel woozy as her vision started to slip her, with black spots clouding her eyes. She only had one thought before she slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

_Na-Naruto… likes… me…?_ And for the first time in her life, Hinata fainted.

Luckily for her, her mother caught her before the young girl could hit the ground. Hitomi heaved the girl up and held her with Hinata's head resting on her shoulder. The matriarch had watched the whole scene and she was extremely happy.

"Oh my, my little flower has her very first crush!" Hitomi swooned as she started to catch up to little Naruto. She was brought out of her happiness when she suddenly thought of something. "I wonder what Hiashi will think of this…?"

…

After talking and walking for a few more minutes, the entourage of three finally arrived at the Hyuuga Clan's compound. And to say it was big was an understatement. They were standing outside of the compound with its defensive feudal lord style fence looming over the three with it greatness showering down on them. But even from there, Naruto could still see the large feudal lord styled mansion that loomed even taller than the fence, and he could also see the roofs of some other houses that were inside of the fence.

"Welcome to the Hyuuga Clan's compound Little Naruto!" Hitomi beamed at him as she began to pull him and Hinata along to the front gates.

"Th-This is the Hyuuga Clan?!" Naruto nearly screamed as his cerulean eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "I-It's soo… soo… HUGE! It's like it's its own country or something, believe it!"

Hinata giggled at Naruto's reaction. She had lived here all her life and she still couldn't get over the fact that she lived in such a wonderful place that was the Hyuuga Compound. It didn't help that every day she woke up being called the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan or "Lady Hinata" for that matter.

"Y-Yes it does seem that w-way at first N-Naruto, but when you live i-in a really big place like this, y-you get used to it after a wh-while." Hinata explained with a smile on her face. They made their way up to the front gates, only to bet met by to guards who stood rigid as a rock as they scanned the area with their **Byakugan** active. When they took notice of Hinata and Hitomi, they both deactivated their doujutsu and bowed towards the two females respectively.

"Lady Hitomi, Lady Hinata, welcome back." One guard said as he rose up from his bow. "Lord Hiashi is waiting for you inside." The two blinked when they took notice of Naruto. The blonde boy looked down at the ground when he noticed them staring. The Hyuuga Clan didn't have a particular grudge against the boy, they were just a little wary of him and his… _tenant_…

Before they could question him, Hinata had taken the liberty of speaking up for the blonde. "Th-This is my friend Naruto Uzumaki. H-He's going to be coming inside with u-us for a bit so I hope you don't m-mind." She had seen the looks they were giving him. They looked to be confused and very unnerved by the presence of Naruto for which she didn't understand. She had seen some of the villagers' pull of those same unnerved looks before they turned into a scowl when they directed their attention at Naruto. Hinata was slightly angry that they disrespected Naruto for something she thought he didn't know, but it made her curious as to why they gave the whiskered child the stinkeye whenever he went past them. One way or another, she would get to the bottom of this and prove Naruto's innocence.

Hitomi smiled warmly at her daughter. She couldn't believe that her little flower was growing up soo fast! First she had made her very first friend, and now her first friend turned out to be her crush! On the same day no less! It made Hitomi swoon at the thought.

_I wonder if this crush of hers will turn out to be true love…? _Hitomi thought as she sighed wistfully at the thought. _If it does and they both realize that they do love each other… Then maybe they will both have children together and they will be my grandchildren!_ At that thought, a big blush had spread across Hitomi's cheeks as she smiled giddily. Maybe she was getting a bit ahead of herself, but you never know… it could happen… Kehehe…

"L-Lady Hitomi…?!" A guard said as he stared at the matriarch in shock. One minute she was fine and the next minute, the two guards were watching as their Lord's wife start to giggle uncontrollably for no apparent reason.

Hitomi giggled some more as she held her cheek in a hand. She waved them off when they asked if she was ill. "No no, nothing of the sort. I assure I am just fine. I am just a little happy is all." Hitomi suddenly placed a hand on both Naruto's and Hinata's backs. "Little Naruto here is our guest of honor this night, for he shall be accompanying us for dinner."

The two guards blinked in realization and bowed respectively towards Naruto. "We are very sorry Mister Uzumaki, we did not know our place. Have mercy on us."

Naruto felt very uncomfortable right now. He never had anyone ever bow to him before, he was always scorned and never showed the respect of being a villager of Konoha. Heck, he wasn't even shown the respect of being a human being by anyone. So when he saw the two Hyuuga bowing before him, for some reason he felt like hiding behind something.

Naruto scratched his spiky blonde hair with a hand while the other waved them off in a frantic motion. "U-Umm, d-don't worry about it you guys. It's no problem at all!" He said while smiling at them nervously.

The two guards were shocked at his politeness but nodded as they went to open the gates. They doors heaved open with loud and deep creaking filling their ears as they watched the two great gates open up for them. Once it was done, Naruto's young blue eyes went wide yet again. It was… it was… big… He saw people, no doubt all Hyuugas, bustling around inside of the compound as the houses stretched far and wide inside of the gates. Some were purchasing things, some were talking to one another, but majority of the Hyuuga's worked around the compound with focused vigor. Hitomi lead him and Hinata through the pathways of the compound, letting Naruto see all there was to see. He noticed that as he passed, they all looked at him. Some whispered among themselves while others gave him a curt nod before returning to whatever they were doing before. The lad was really surprised that none of them were attacking him or yelling at him for being inside of their walls.

Maybe it was because he was with Hinata and Hitomi? He didn't know, but from all of the nods that were directed at him, he figured that they didn't think that he was all bad.

When they arrived at a giant mansion that looked like a Daimayo's house, Naruto's eyes widened. It looked just like a feudal Lord's house that he had seen in posters when he walked by a magazine store. As he was admiring the mansion, he saw a man wearing a grey white kimono with a faded green coat come out of the mansion. He had eyes like Hinata and Hitomi but they were white.

"Papa!" Hinata smiled as she let go of her mother's hands and ran up to her father. Hiashi smiled at her as he felt pride well up inside of him.

_So Hizashi was right after all…_ Hiashi thought as he kneeled down and caught his daughter into an embrace. "Hello Hinata, did you behave at school today?"

"Hai!" Hinata said as her smile grew even wider. "Oh wait!" She wriggled out of her father's grip before she ran up to Naruto's side and gestured to him. "Papa, th-this is my very first f-friend and his name is Naruto Uzumaki. H-He played with me a lot at s-school today."

Hiashi raised a brow at the boy while Naruto teetered his weight back and forth on his feet. "Uhh, hi." He said as he waved a hand at the man, he only got narrowed eyes which made him gulp in fear.

_Gee… H-He's really scary…_ Naruto thought as he averted his eyes from the man's cold gaze. _H-He's much more scarier than all of the villagers combined!_ He felt his heart quicken when he heard the man stand up and give out a loud grunt.

Hiashi was observing his prey— err, his _guest_ with hateful— I mean, _calculating_ eyes. He knew about Naruto and his tenant. But he didn't hate the boy because of it, he hardly held any grudges and he had no reason to hate the boy since he had no power over it. The man knew of the boy's background for the boy's father was his Genin teammate when they were kids after all. No no, he was glaring at Naruto because he was a _boy_. And he was with _his_ _daughter_. And he was standing a little _too_ close for comfort next to her.

Hiashi looked at the boy's appearance and stature. His pale eyes narrowed. Couldn't his daughter have chosen a friend that was a little more… refine…? Like a _girl_ for instance?

"Hello… _boy_…" Hiashi said after a long moment of silence. It almost sounded like a growl than a regular talking tone.

Naruto felt himself sweat a ton of bullets as he watched the man glare at him intensely. He knew that pressure very well, if he didn't he wouldn't be alive to this very day; Hinata's dad was emitting killer intent and it was a lot of it. He tried to look away but his eyes were glued onto the man's, fearing that if he did in fact look away, that the Hyuuga standing right there in front of him would kill him on the spot.

"Well then, let's go inside shall we?" Hitomi said breaking the two from their stares and glares, although it left Naruto feeling very unnerved. The Hyuuga matriarch suddenly grabbed her husband by the ear as she pulled him inside. "Kids you go inside and wait in the dining room. Hiashi, a word please."

…

Naruto was sitting on his knees on a pillow as he waited for his food to arrive. He was currently sitting with Hinata, Hitomi and Hiashi who also brought his brother Hizashi and his son Neji.

Naruto thought that the two newcomers were very strange compared to the other Hyuuga that lived here. Hizashi was the complete opposite of his brother Hiashi, but they were identical twins! I mean, it freaked the whiskered boy out to no end. On one hand, Hizashi was really nice to him, on the other, Hiashi was very cold and mean towards Naruto. Hizashi had a sense of humor, Hiashi didn't, Hizashi liked Naruto, and Hiashi didn't! But what they both did have in common were that they were heads of the two houses (which scared Naruto even more knowing that Hiashi was the head of the Hyuuga Clan and Hinata was basically a princess), and they both really liked Hinata (remember, Naruto doesn't exactly know what love is) which made Naruto really happy for his friend.

Now Neji Hyuuga, he was like a mixture between Hiashi and Hizashi. Neji was mainly quiet when Naruto and Hinata talked, but added his input on things with a stern and clipped voice. The older boy did manage to make Naruto uncomfortable, but the blonde preferred him over Hiashi any day. But Neji did have this really kind side whenever when Hinata spoke to him. Sure he did berate her into never calling him "Big Brother Neji", but mostly he was really nice.

Neji, on the other hand, viewed Naruto differently than the Uzumaki viewed him. Neji thought that Naruto was very interesting, yet obnoxious at the same time. Naruto seemed to always speak his mind when Hinata, Hitomi, Hizashi, or himself asked him something, and the boy had bucket loads of confidence that seemed to practically ooze off of him. But when Hiashi asked him something, the young lad seemed to quietly answer him while adding "sir" at the end of every sentence. Other than that, Neji thought that Naruto was a little strange, a bit _too_ hyperactive, but he seemed reliable. Not only that but he seemed to fill his surrogate sister (which he will never mention to anyone else) with a lot more confidence than she normally had. Sure, she had seemed to stutter around him, but it was slowly receding, if just by a little bit.

All in all, Neji viewed the boy to being an acceptable resource for the near future and he seemed to treat Hinata well and liked her very much. And the Hyuuga boy didn't know why, but he seemed to consider the whiskered boy to be a worthy adversary in the near future; if they ever fought of course.

The chattering stopped once the double doors from the kitchen swung open revealing a few chefs strolling out with some carts that had white blankets over a few lumps that were under it on each cart. The chefs yanked the white blankets off and proceeded to placing the dishes on the long table. Once everything was in place, the chefs removed the silver coverings of the platters and brought the coverings with them as they stroll their carts away back into the kitchen.

"Whoa!" Naruto shouted as he looked at the spread. It was beautiful. All of the dishes were cooked to perfection and were made with elegance and careful decoration. He thought Hinata's bento box was good, but this, this was heaven! It had everything: Soba, Udon, Sushi, Rice balls, Rice porridge, everything! Naruto nearly cried tears of joy when he had an empty plate, courtesy of Hinata, set down in front of him along with chopsticks.

Naruto gulped down his saliva that wanted to come out of his mouth and quickly grabbed his chopsticks. He snapped it in half and began to quickly fill his plate with fast and quick reflexes. In three seconds flat, his plate was filled and he had a goofy grin that was smacked across his face.

He clapped his hands together as his eyes squinted in that infamous fashion as a bit of drool dribbled out of the corner of his lip. "Itadakimasu!" He shouted and lifted a large piece of meat over his mouth with his chopsticks, and he was about to gobble it down when he noticed that everyone was staring at him. They all sweatdropped once they saw the boy about to inhale a large piece of meat within the matter of seconds. Well… that was everyone except Hiashi Hyuuga of course. The man was glaring at Naruto instead, appalled that the boy had displayed such a vulgar act right in front of his very eyes.

"Well… boy… haven't you ever considered the word, _manners_ before?" Hiashi said with a snarky tone as he began to elegantly place food on his plate.

Naruto felt his sweat being to drop as he realized that maybe the way he usually ate would be a bad example for people who were considered nobles or whatever. Naruto murmured his apologies as he set his meat back on his plate with his chopsticks. Once he saw everyone else eating, the blonde boy realized that he didn't have manners like them whatsoever.

He looked at his plate with his infamous closed-eyes as his bottom lip poked out as he tried to figure out his problem. _Okay… How do I do this…?_ As he stared at his food, thinking that it might give him an answer, his stomach began to grumble at not eating the delicious meal that was set out in front of him. He sighed as his grumblings grew louder. _Oh man… I'm really hungry right_ _now…_

"N-Naruto." Said boy looked over to see Hinata looking back at him. She had heard his stomach's pleas and felt bad that he didn't know what to do. As far as she knew, Naruto didn't have anyone to teach him anything. "L-Like this." She explained as she tucked in her arms by her side, removed her elbows from the table, and started to chew her food with her mouth closed.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed as he bopped his fist into his hand. He copied Hinata and began to eat his food with tight and slow chews and with a closed mouth. It was new and uncomfortable for him at first, but he slowly got used to it as time progressed on. After he swallowed his morsel of sushi, he turned towards Hinata and gave her a lopsided grin. "Thanks Hinata, you really helped me out! I owe you one, believe it!"

Hinata blushed prettily and looked down at her meal as she began to play with her food for a bit. "Y-You're welcome Naruto… I-I'm glad I could h-help you."

Naruto's grin turned even wider. Whenever he needed help, he knew he could always count on Hinata for being there in his time of need. The two continued eating, but also began chatting as they did so.

* * *

Hiashi was not pleased. His left eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he sat in the dining room alone with his wife, Hitomi Hyuuga. Hizashi had turned in for the night and Neji went to use the restroom, leaving Hinata leading Naruto to her room so she could show the boy what it looked like and meet his other little daughter, Hanabi Hyuuga. And the person responsible for that order was his own wife.

Not to get him wrong, he loved his wife, he really did, but sometimes she did things that made him question her. Not that it was annoying, it was actually endearing. He always loved how mysterious Hitomi was, and it only made the clanhead want to find out more about his wife. Even if they had been married for several years now.

But tonight, he did not find his wife's antics endearing or amusing.

She had told him that she wanted to let Hinata and Naruto get closer so they could form a greater bond of friendship. Too bad he wasn't an idiot and saw right through her plans. He knew that she wanted the boy and his beloved daughter to get much more… _mutual_ per say.

Hiashi sighed and grabbed his beautifully designed grey teacup. The cup was crafted so that its body had folds, and it was decorated with a beautiful marble that wrapped around the cup like a long vine. "Hitomi, my love, I know what you are implying. But Hinata cannot be… courted by that _boy_. Sure he is the heir to the Namikaze and Uzumaki thrones, but I just don't see Hinata being with him."

Hitomi harrumphed as she folded her arms. And idea suddenly popped in her head… a _mischievous_ idea… "Oh, I understand dear." Hiashi sighed in relief and began to drink his tea. "But I think our little Hinata-hime will be devastated. After all, she does have quite the crush on Little Naruto after all…"

Hiashi's eyes widened and his tea sprayed out of his mouth as he spluttered it out. He suddenly rounded on his wife who looked at him innocently. "Wh-What?!" He screamed.

"Hiashi, I know you had a big grudge match with Minato when you guys were kids. And I know that you are very protective of our daughters, but don't you think you're being a little too harsh on Naruto?" She stopped to sip her tea before continuing once more. "Naruto Uzumaki is _not_ Minato Namikaze, dear. With his life being this bad already, having another person scorning him without him knowing for _what_ reason, is like slicing his heart with a kunai. Please, just give him a chance to prove himself to you, and let him be happy with Hinata."

Hiashi calmed down after hearing his wife's words. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew she was right. Naruto was not in fact Minato, because he was just a child and the two of them were complete opposites anyway; besides the blonde spiky hair and the blue eyes.

Hiashi sighed as he ran a hand through his long, dark brown hair. He rubbed his temples for a bit before speaking again. "Yes I… I guess you are right my sweet. I will give the boy a chance, but if he does anything to harm Hinata so help me I'll—!"

"Hiashi…!" Hitomi warned.

Hiashi cringed before coughing to regain his composure. He loved his wife and she was very gentle, but at times, she scared the living daylights out of him. "Sorry, I won't harm the boy… _yet_…" He muttered the last part so his wife wouldn't hear him.

Hitomi smiled and clapped her hands with happiness. "Splendid! Now we just have to convince the elders."

"You really think those old fools would let a boy of… Naruto's _stature_ into a pretentious compound such as the Hyuuga?" Hiashi mumbled as he yet again began to rub his temples.

"No, but we do have a solution that will undoubtedly make them see in our favor." Hitomi snickered with a hand against her mouth to hide her laughter.

* * *

With Hinata and Naruto, Hinata was busy leading the whiskered boy to her room. As she dragged him along, her mind was in complete overdrive. She had never in her life, brought anyone outside of the Hyuuga Clan into her room… Well, besides Mister Dai of course. But she had never, ever, ever, in a million years, would have even thought of bringing a _boy_ into her room. She had heard that bringing boys into girls' rooms were only for grown-ups… and maybe teenagers too.

"Hinata…" Said girl ignored the voice. What was she was going to do? She knew that she was just going to show the blonde her room and maybe play for a while, but it still didn't calm the little girl's heart rate any lower. Why did she feel this way?

"Hinata!"

"Eep!" The bluenette jumped and turned to look back at Naruto. He was panting, if only a little bit, and he had a confused expression on his face as he stared back at her. "Y-Yes N-Naruto?" Hinata stammered as she looked at him with confusion and a hint of fright.

"Can you slow down a bit? You're going too fast and you're hurting my wrist, ya know?" Naruto said as he started to rub an open spot that Hinata's hand didn't cover on the wrist she was holding on to. Hinata blushed as Naruto brushed his hand against hers unknowingly. She gave out a shrill squeak and yanked her hand away from his. Naruto looked at her, confused, but she quickly faced forward and clasped her hands against her thumping heart.

"I-I-I'm sorry Na-Naruto… Please f-forgive m-me…" Hinata asked as she hung her head, thinking that he'll probably never talk to her again.

But the whiskered child just grinned and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't sweat it Hinata! It was just an accident! And besides, I forgive you anyway, believe it!" He said and gave her a thumbs up in his nice guy pose.

Hinata blushed a bit harder but smiled nonetheless. She nodded at him and gave him a tap on the shoulder. "I-If you still want to join me, I-I can show y-you my little sister H-Hanabi. She's really cute a-and she's the sweetest b-baby you'll ever meet!"

"Cool! Miss Hitomi did talk a lot about Hanabi anyway! I wanna see what she looks like!" Naruto smiled and this time, he grabbed her wrist and dragged the young heiress along.

_I don't know what it is but…_ Hinata thought as she looked at the back of Naruto's spiky blonde hair. _There's something about him that's really nice to be around… He feels really… warm…_ And as the bluenette stared, she blushed as she continued to admire the boy in front of her, without him even knowing.

…

After a few minutes of walking aimlessly in the main branch's huge tatami matted hallways, Hinata Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki had finally made it to their destination. Hinata slid open the tatami decorated door, and walked inside with Naruto right behind her. They were met with a baby blue painted room that had drawing and pictures that were taped to the walls. It was roomy and comfortable unlike the regular rooms of the main branch's house; they were always plain and dull.

The two heard a yawn followed by a few giggles. Naruto was confused whereas Hinata was elated and she smiled as she quickly made it over to the white crib that was place near a wall and was close to Hinata's bed. The bluenette held onto the cribs bars as she got on her tippy toes to view the little babe that was in the crib.

Hanabi was only a few months old and she was very small. She was wearing a uni-pajama wear that was the color grey, she had short, silky brown hair, and white eyes just like their dad, Hiashi. Hanabi was a chubby baby, and she always had this small constant blush that was always on her cheeks.

Hanabi giggled once she saw Hinata and she reached out her tiny hands towards her sister while her little feet thrashed about in excitement. No one knew why, but Hinata and Hanabi had this special bond they developed since the day Hanabi was born. It seemed that the two could always sense when the other was near and it made them smile once they were in close contact. Usually it is the mother who is more attached to the baby than the other family members, but in this case, it is Hinata who is more attached to Hanabi than anyone else. Majority of the time, Hanabi would sleep with Hinata if the babe didn't want to be in her crib at night.

Hinata smiled warmly at her baby sister and poked out a single finger for the little Hyuuga to grab. Hanabi writhed around a bit, but she finally took hold of her finger and began giggling happily. Hinata giggled also, but then she realized that someone was missing from this picture.

Hinata looked behind her and saw Naruto still standing at the room's entrance. "N-Naruto?" Hinata said as she looked at the boy quizzically. "Wh-What are you doing over there? Aren't you g-going to come and see Hanabi?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Wait, you mean I can see the baby?" The boy was never allowed by others to see their babies whenever the blonde walked down the street. They always told him that demon's like him would taint a baby's innocence and corrupt them with his presence. So Naruto had never really interacted with one before.

Hinata sensed his discomfort and tried to put him at ease with a reassuring smile. "I-It's okay Naruto. You can come over a-and play with H-Hanabi. She won't b-bite." When she noticed that he still wouldn't move, she looked at him sadly and sighed. She figured the reason why the whiskered boy was soo nervous, was because of what the villagers had done to him. And it seemed to revolve around babies in this case. The young heiress was really beginning to get annoyed by the citizens of Konoha now.

Hinata wriggled her finger out of Hanabi's tight grasp, which disappointed the babe and she started to bawl, but was silenced when Hinata smiled at her. "D-Don't worry Hanabi, y-your big sister will be back shortly. S-So please do not w-worry." Hanabi tilted her head, but started to clap her hands and smile at Hinata nonetheless. Hinata smiled and turned around and started to make her way towards Naruto. She took a hold of his hand, which made her blush horribly, and she began to lead him towards Hanabi.

"H-Hey… H-Hinata wait!" Naruto stammered as he let his feet drag along the floor. He felt really uncomfortable now, like he felt as if he was going to make Hinata's sister explode if she looked at him. But it seemed Hinata didn't care and she actually _wanted_ him to meet her sister.

"No Naruto," Hinata said as she now used both of her hands to pull him along. "I-I really want you to meet Hanabi! I kn-know that the villagers make you feel b-bad, and I don't know f-for what reason… but… Y-You aren't hated here because y-you're a really nice person and you're my v-very first friend! So please, t-trust me enough so that you d-don't feel un-uncomfortable!"

That speech made Naruto shocked beyond belief. Her words hit home and it made tears sprinkle in his eyes. He cried silently and wiped the away before Hinata could see them. Although, Hinata had very sharp eyes and she could see he was trying to wipe away his tears of joy. It made her happy to know that she made the blonde feel accepted when no one else would.

"No…! I-I'm not gonna cry anymore…!" He said as he started to sniff as more tears escaped and began to roll down his cheeks. His shoulders began shaking and Hinata let him go. He used both of his hands to wipe his tears but the salty rivers still managed to flow down his cheeks. He couldn't take it anymore and he started to bawl as he cried openly. He cried for joy, he cried for pain. He cried for loss, and he cried for sadness. He cried for loneliness, but he cried for acceptance as well. For the first time in his life, for the first time, he finally had a friend who accepted him for him. It seemed that she saw through all of his flaws, through all of his mistakes and goofiness and false happiness. She saw through it all and found out that underneath all of the macho acts, was a person who was scared, alone, and felt vulnerable.

Hinata hated to see him in this broken state and started to cry along with him. Before she knew what she was doing, Hinata ran up to him and hugged the lone Uzumaki. Naruto widened his eyes at first but then he wrapped his arms around her, held her tight against him, and cried even harder. He really needed this. And with Hinata, the blonde lad felt as though he could tell her anything and everything. Hanabi joined in on the chorus of wails, making the sounds of their suffering resound around the room in harmony.

After a few more minutes of crying, Hinata stopped and let Naruto cry a little longer on her shoulder. She rubbed his back as she tried to soothe away his pain, his loss, and especially his loneliness. After he was finished, he let go of her slowly and wiped away his tears with his arm.

"Aha… S-Sorry 'bout that Hinata…" Naruto said as he put on a shy smile with his eyes red and puffy. "I didn't mean to soak your shirt or anything… Heh heh…" He looked down at his shoes with shame and slight embarrassment.

Hinata waved it off and let go off him with a huge wave of disappointment washing down on her. She ignored it for now and tended to more important matters at hand. "I-It's okay Na-Naruto. It's good to c-cry once and a while. It's not a bad thing or a-anything. Everyone d-does it."

"R-Really?!" Naruto looked up at her astonished. She just nodded and smiled at him with a little amusement. "Even your old man?!"

Now at that question, Hinata had to think. She had never seen her father cry before, at least, not in front of her. But she did remember her mother saying that when she had said yes to her father's marriage proposal, he did cry a little for joy. "Y-Yeah… at least, th-that's what Mama t-told me." Hinata replied with a little shrug. She continued to pull him along until they reached Hanabi's crib. The baby looked like she was going to fall asleep from all of her crying, but she instantly perked up once she saw Hinata again. She smiled and began thrashing her little limbs around.

"H-Hello Hanabi, i-it's nice to see you again too." Hinata giggled and she unhooked the latch that kept the bars up on each side, and she pulled down on the bars until it was down enough so that Hinata could reach out and touch Hanabi without restrictions. The bluenette reached and picked up the brunette, struggling as she did so. Her mother had given her permission to hold Hanabi whenever she wanted to and it made the two girls very happy that they could both be in even more contact with each other. Hinata was happy, yes, but she wasn't happy that Hanabi was half her weight and it made it difficult for her carry her places without wobbling.

Hanabi giggled and latched onto her sister like a koala to a eucalyptus tree, which helped Hinata move around and carry her better, but it didn't help that her weight hadn't changed. In fact, it seemed as though Hanabi had gained more weight than last time. The 6 year old girl groaned as she carried Hanabi to the middle of the room.

Naruto noticed Hinata's struggling and he felt his sweat drop. "Umm… Do you need some help Hinata?" He asked her.

Hinata thought about it for a moment before answering. "Ah… y-yes please. If you would be s-so kind as to get Hanabi's b-baby blanket and spread it out for us, th-that would be a huge help t-to me."

Naruto blinked but shrugged anyway. He looked around in the crib until he saw a dark purple blanket. He grabbed it, ran over to Hinata, and quickly spread it on the floor in front of them. Hinata got on her knees and gently laid Hanabi on her belly on the middle of the blanket while Hinata and Naruto took up either sides of the babe. Hanabi giggled and thrashed her limbs around again with happiness. It looked like she was swimming if you thought about it. Hinata and Naruto laughed and Hinata began to play with her sister as she lay next to her.

After a few minutes of playing, Hinata was letting Hanabi suckle and teethe on her finger as the little one had it in a death-tight grip. Naruto was looking at Hinata confused, expecting the girl to cry out in pain. Instead, the Hyuuga was just giggling and smiling at her sister.

"Doesn't it hurt?" He asked.

It was her turn to look at him in confusion. "D-Doesn't what hurt, N-Naruto?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Ya know, Hanabi biting on your finger. Doesn't it hurt?"

Hinata blinked but then she smiled at him. She figured that the boy didn't know anything about a baby and its growth. "No, no, Naruto. I-It doesn't hurt because Hanabi is j-just teething on my finger."

Naruto tilted his head. "Teething? What's that?"

"Teething is when a baby starts to bite and suck on things because its teeth are starting to grow in." She suddenly heaved Hanabi up so the little Hyuuga sat in her sister's lap and Hinata gently stretched Hanabi's cheeks so Naruto could have a better look at in her mouth. The blonde boy leaned in closer and saw something white protruding out of little Hanabi's mouth and he realized that it was a tooth that was growing in.

His eyes grew wide as he grinned hugely. "Whoa! That's pretty cool!"

Hinata giggled and a soft blush graced her cheeks. She suddenly came up with an idea and let go of Hanabi's cheeks, much to the baby's relief. "H-Hey Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"D-Do you want t-to hold Hanabi?" She asked as she lifted Hanabi up and held her out to him. He backed away a little when Hanabi giggled and started to reach out to him. The whiskered boy began to sweat nervously as he stared at the baby in front of him. Could he hold Hanabi? Would their mother get mad? Would he taint her?

As if she could read his mind, Hinata spoke up. "Don't w-worry Naruto, I'm sure y-you'll do just fine holding Ha-Hanabi."

"Uhh… But…!" He was cut off when Hinata held Hanabi close and knee-walked over to the confused boy. She gently placed the baby in his arms and directed one hand to hold the small of Hanabi's neck and Hinata then led the other to hold the small of Hanabi's back. Naruto began to feel much more nervous but Hinata kept his arms close to his sides so Hanabi would be much more comfortable in his embrace.

Naruto sweated as Hanabi looked at him with big, curious white eyes. He smiled down at her but it was a nervous smile. He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do. He had never felt soo lost in his young life. Here he was, holding another human in his hands, and he was sweating like a pig! Sure Hanabi was heavy, but she was also very small and delicate and fragile and was supposed to be treated with care. Naruto did the exact opposite of those things and more! Why the hell was he holding a baby when he breaks more stuff in Konohagakure than a bandit does in 5 years?!

He suddenly felt movement on his right side and saw as Hinata stood up and began to walk away from him. "W-Wait! Wh-Where are you going Hinata?!" He asked, his voice almost shouting at her. He felt scared that if Hinata left, something bad might happen to him or worse, Hanabi.

Hinata nearly flinched at Naruto's tone, but realized that the blonde was just scared and had never experienced this sort of thing before. So she gave him a reassuring smile that made his heart go at ease. "D-Don't worry Naruto, I-I'm just getting my stuffed b-bear. That's all. I-It's just on the bed, I'm not g-going anywhere."

And with that, the Uzumaki sighed with relief and watched Hinata quickly make her way over to her bed, grab something, and made her way back to them. Naruto watched as Hinata plopped back on her knees and hold out something in front of her. It was a big white bear that was nearly as tall as the both of them (Naruto is Hinata's height after all), and had really long arms that stopped at the bear's feet. He was missing an ear and had grey button eyes with a giant blue spot that was around one of them.

Hinata just beamed at Naruto as she held out the bear towards Naruto and Hanabi. "Th-This is my stuffed bear, M-Mister Dai! H-He's my very special a-animal friend and he's always been there for m-me." Hinata suddenly hugged the bear close to her and she grinned as she snuggled the animal's face. It shocked Naruto because Hinata doesn't really grin, as far as he knew. "We g-go on a lot of adventures and beat up r-really bad guys!"

Naruto just gave her a goofy grin while Hanabi giggled as she reached out for the bear. "That's pretty cool! Hey where's his ear?"

Hinata's grin suddenly flashed into a serious expression a half a second later. It was serious but it was cute at the same time. Of course… Naruto couldn't see that it was… "He donated i-it to the Sickly Bear Society where s-sick bears get operations!"

"Oh…" Naruto nodded his head, also having a serious face on. He thought it was a logical and a well put out plan. "I see. That's pretty smart."

"I know right?" Hinata smiled but it dimmed down a bit as she was in deep thought. Naruto noticed this and was confused for a bit until he realized that something was wrong with his friend.

"Hey Hinata…?" He said as he frowned a little at her. "Is… everything alright…?"

She didn't answer at first but suddenly her smile came back but this time it was gentle and held a bit of sadness in it. "Naruto… C-Can you please set H-Hanabi down on the blanket p-please?"

He didn't know what was happening but he complied to the heiress' wishes nonetheless. He slowly moved his hands so that it was under the baby's arms and he gently sat Hanabi down on her bottom. Hanabi giggled, thinking that this was a new game, until her vision was suddenly filled with white. Hinata had placed Mister Dai in front of her with a remorseful, yet happy smile that was stretched upon her lips.

"Here you go Hanabi," Hinata said as she scooted the bear closer to the babe, "he's yours now. I hope you like him and treat him well as I did."

The baby Hyuuga's eyes went wide before she started to wave her hands up and down in excitement. She reached for him, but she couldn't quite grab him. So in a fit of frustration, the baby girl leaned forward and fell on the bear, cushioning her fall. She giggled and reached a tiny hand towards the bear's hand that was a stub, brought it to her mouth, and began to teethe on it.

It made the two 6 year olds smile with amusement, but it made Naruto confused as to why Hinata had given away her favorite bear.

"Hey Hinata?"

Hinata turned to look at him. "Y-Yes Na-Naruto?"

"Why'd you give away Mister Dai? I thought he was your favorite stuffed animal." He asked her quizzically and with a slightly tilted head.

The bluenette sighed as she watched her sister. "I-I know, I know… but… I felt as though I-I was getting a little too old for t-toys…" She began to rub Hanabi's back making the girl giggle before going back to teething again. "… And Hanabi l-looks so happy... and she d-doesn't have one so I thought… Maybe it's time I stop playing w-with toys and give Hanabi one instead." The young heiress suddenly straightened up and stared determinately at the spiky blonde boy. "A-And besides, I'm the heiress of the H-Hyuuga Clan and I've got really b-big responsibilities now. S-So I won't h-have time to play what with m-my duties as the heiress and attending the Konoha N-Ninja Academy."

Naruto squinted his eyes closed as he stared at her. They were only 6 and lots of 6 year olds had toys! But when she put it that way about her being the heiress of a he clan and also juggling ninja school, he guessed that she did have her hands full. And wouldn't, in fact, need toys. But he still thought that she would need one, you know a little bedtime pal or something along those lines.

_Hmm… Maybe I should get her one…_ He thought as he began to scratch the back of his head. At that thought, Naruto instantly perked up and a large grin tugged on his lips. _Yeah! I'll get Hinata a stuffed animal so she won't feel sad anymore! That's a great idea, believe it!_

"Don't worry Hinata!" Naruto beamed brightly at her while he patted his bicep. "I'll take care of your problem! Leave everything to me, believe it!"

Hinata raised a brow but she gave a small blush once she saw Naruto's burning gaze lock onto her timid one. She had no idea what was going on or what he was saying, but she felt happy that he was doing whatever it was just for her.

Before she could reply, she suddenly heard Hanabi yawning. She looked down to see the baby making herself comfortable as her eyelids started to droop from her tiredness. Hinata smiled but blinked as she came up with an idea.

"H-Hey Naruto? C-Can you do me an f-favor?" Hinata asked as she turned towards him once more.

He tilted his head a little but nodded nonetheless. "Sure what is it?"

"C-Can you lie down p-please? On your b-back?" The shy girl asked as she began to gently tap her two index fingers together as a dark blush covered her cheeks and ears. She had no idea why that sentence sounded soo… foreign, but she wanted to try out something to help her friend get over his fear of babies.

Naruto blinked slowly at first, but then he nodded and laid on his back with his arms stretched out widely. Hinata sighed in relief, but knew her experiment wasn't over yet. She gently picked up Hanabi; who snapped her eyes open with surprise and curiosity, knee-walked over to the stretched out Naruto, and slowly but carefully placed the fragile baby on the destructive boy's chest.

Naruto was surprised at the new weight on his body, but once he saw what it was, his surprise instantly turned into fright. Hinata had put Hanabi right _on top of him_. Him! The one who violated people's property, destroyed things, and trespassed on private grounds _regularly_! He was about to protest but Hinata shushed him with a sharp "Shh!" with a single finger to her lips. She pointed at the bundle and Naruto lifted his head a little to see Hanabi lying on her tummy while she yawned loudly. Her eyes fluttered closed before she brought out a tiny thumb and began to suckle on it.

Okay, the blonde admitted that Hanabi did look cute, but he was very uncomfortable that the baby had to sleep _on top of him_! Couldn't she have slept on Hinata instead?! But whenever he pleaded whispers to her to get the sleeping babe off of him, the bluenette would just sigh and shake her head. So Naruto grumbled in annoyance as he took matters into his own hands. He squirmed underneath Hanabi, making the babe get agitated as she clutched onto his shirt tighter to steady her ground. Naruto huffed and squirmed again, but this time it resulted in Hanabi wailing making it a bad mistake.

"Naruto!" Hinata yelled at him with her hands planted on her hips as she looked at him with a scowl and a light blush.

It was his turn to get agitated as he rounded on Hinata. "W-Well you shouldn't have put her on me! I don't do well with babies!"

"I was t-trying to make y-you like babies!" Hinata shot back.

"Well, your plan sucked!" He retorted.

Hinata held his annoyed gaze with her own before she sighed and gave up on it. She was about to pull the crying Hanabi off of the blonde lad when she suddenly came up with an idea. Hinata smiled softly before she retracted her hands and folded them neatly into her lap as she sat on her knees.

Naruto watched with relieved cerulean eyes as Hinata's hands started to make their way over to the wailing baby. But they suddenly stopped and then they disappeared back towards their owner. Naruto was about to question her when he was suddenly stopped by a voice.

_Dango, dango, dango, dango, a big dango family…_

Naruto looked around for that voice. That voice. It held such a heavenly tune and it was the sweetest voice Naruto had ever heard in his young life.

_Dango, dango, dango, dango, a big dango family…_

When Naruto turned his head, his blues almost grew to the size of platters. It was Hinata. _Hinata_ was that sweet voice. The young lad realized that Hinata was _singing_! He had never heard Hinata sing, he had just met her today for pete's sake!

_The mischievous roasted dango, the gentle bean jam dango,_

_The moon viewing dango is a bit of a dreamer,_

_The sesame dango always looks prim, the quadruplet spitted dango,_

_Put all of them together to make a family of one hundred…_

As Naruto continued to hear Hinata's voice, he heard a tiny sigh that perturbed from his chest. He saw Hanabi's white eyes flutter as sleep began to overtake her.

_The baby dango is always in the midst of happiness,_

_The old dango narrows his eyes…_

At that verse, Hanabi seemed to smile as Hinata sang "baby dango" before the babe yawned once more before suckling on her thumb again and drifting off to sleep.

_The chummy dango hold their hands together and make a big, round ring,_

_They build a town on the dango planet and everyone laughs together,_

_The rabbit waves from the big moon in the sky,_

_It takes all the happy and sad things and rounds them up…_

Naruto suddenly felt his eyelids get heavy and before he knew it, he began to yawn as well. He stretched his arms up like a cat, careful not to disturb the sleeping Hanabi, before his arms plopped back down, with one draping over the brunette Hyuuga child.

_Dango, dango, dango, dango, a big dango family,_

_Dango, dango, dango, dango, a big dango family…_

He didn't want to sleep, but he soon found out that his vision was slipping him as he continued to listen to Hinata's sweet, melodious, and soothing voice. He felt that all of the insecurities and hurtfulness of the world suddenly vanished and all that was left was a big fluffy cloud of softness that engulfed his entire being.

_Dango, dango, dango, dango… a big dango family…_

Hinata smiled warmly as she watched Hanabi drift asleep before watching Naruto try to fight off the tiredness a little more, before his slumber finally caught him and he was snoring softly as he dreamed. She didn't know why, but she liked watching Naruto sleep. It was kind of cute how he would sometimes twitch while mumbling in his sleep. Hinata yawned and felt herself get lulled by her own song. She groggily climbed next to Naruto before she lowered her self down and laid next to him and her sister.

_Dango… dango… dango… dango … a big dango family…_

And after the last verse of the song, Hinata succumbed to her sleepiness and fell into a deep, blissful slumber.

* * *

With Hiashi and his wife Hitomi, the two powers were briskly making their way towards the Hyuuga Elders quarters. They had been summoned just shortly after they were finished talking about their plan of Naruto's staying. They knew that this was going to happen sooner or later, but they had never expected it to be soo soon.

"It's amusing how everything works out in this way, isn't it dear?" Hiashi asked his wife with his hands neatly tucked into his sleeves. Hitomi just laughed and also put away her hands into her sleeves.

"Yes, but it makes everything interesting all the more. Wouldn't you agree my little Shi-shi?" She asked in a flirtatious manner.

Hiashi blushed as he was momentarily caught off guard, resulting in him stumbling in his strides for a moment. He coughed before he regained his regal composure, although his blush never left his face. He hated it when his wife would do that, although he would never admit that he secretly liked it when she called him "Shi-shi", even if she was his wife, he still had boundaries.

"I told you not to call me that Hitomi…" Hiashi said in a clipped but gentle tone.

Hitomi sighed before she suddenly looped her arms into his. "But Shi-shi! We used to call each other nicknames when we were dating! Why don't you want to do it now?" She groaned dramatically and teetered back making Hiashi catch her.\

Hiashi was shocked at his wife's behavior. Sure had done this awhile back, but why now? They were going to meet the elders soon and needed to show up with the stature of feudal lords in their presence. There was no room for error in their eyes and everything must be perfect.

"Hitomi, why are you acting in such a way? This has not happened for quite some time and you know it." He sighed before he picked her back up on her feet. "For what reason do you act so childish?"

Hitomi turned around in her husband's arms and placed her soft, pale hands on his chest. "Hiashi, I just want to rekindle the love that has begun to dim between us. Seeing our daughter interact with that boy has made me realize that our love needs much more… attention…" She blushed as she grabbed her husband's hands and placed them on her hips and she then linked her hands behind the clanhead's neck as she pressed herself closer to him. "… so maybe we could partake in the activities of the bonding of two mates later…?"

Hiashi's mouth went slightly agape as his blush started to spread across his face until it turned completely red. If you thought Hinata had gotten her excessive blushing from her mother, well… you were wrong… it was from her father…

The Hyuuga Clan leader immediately let go of his wife's hips and grabbed her wrists and put them back to her side (much to her disappointment). Hiashi put a hand over his mouth as an eyebrow twitch in embarrassment with his blush never leaving his face.

"Y-You want…" He said in a slightly muffled voice. "… to do _that_… s-so soon…?"

Hitomi blushed harder as she smiled and began playing with her fingers. "Well… yes… Is that so wrong?"

Hiashi's ears began to scorch as he sighed at his wife's naivety. Even after all these years, his wife remained soo… innocent. Which was a blessing as well as a curse. "Well no… not really… but you must realize that you just had Hanabi not too long ago my dear."

Hitomi just raised a brow at her husband's shyness as he dodged the question she had asked him earlier. She decided to put more pressure on him. "Yes I know, but I'm not saying that we have another child. I'm just saying that I want a night of love-making with you… don't you want to do it too, Shi-shi?"

Now she had him. Hiashi stiffened as he looked right into his wife's eyes. He was nervous and sweat was beginning to formulate on his forehead. His blush turned into a nice crimson color as he replayed his wife's words. She had said it soo plainly like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Which it wasn't! It was the most embarrassing thing in the world to say!

"I… I…!" Hiashi began but found himself tongue tied. He stared at his wife for a few moments before regaining himself as he took in a deep breath. "I… C-Can I answer this a little bit later…?"

Hitomi looked at him with an annoyed expression before she proceeded onwards towards where the elders resided. "Fine… but I hope you answer soon, Hiashi."

Said man gave out a sigh of relief. He was off the hook now but he knew it was only for a little while before his wife tried more… drastic measures…

_The last time she tried that, Hanabi ended up being created…_ Hiashi thought as hung his head with slight shame. He couldn't believe that he had lost to his wife of her game of seduction soo… _easily_. That really put a damper on his pride back then. So as his eyes flitted up to glance at the matriarch's backside, he groaned before he covered his pale eyes with a hand. _This is going to be a long night…_

…

The husband and wife were sitting on their knees elegantly as the faced the seven Hyuuga elders with impassive and unreadable expressions as did the elders too. The air was thick with soo much tension that it could have choked a pig. It was a full five minutes before an elder started the meeting off.

"I assume that you know the reason you were summoned here?" One asked.

Hiashi gave a curt nod. "Naruto Uzumaki, correct?"

"Yes…" Another hissed vehemently. "Why did you allow that _tainted being_ into the Hyuuga Clan's walls, Hiashi?"

Before the clanhead could answer, he was cut off by his wife. "The reason being, elders, is because of Naruto's heritage."

"His heritage?" An elder repeated with narrowed eyes. "Preposterous! That thing has no heritage. He is just an unworthy orphan that deserves to be among… his _kind_."

Hitomi narrowed her lavender eyes as she could clearly hear the hate in the elderly Hyuugas' voices. There was no mistaking their distain and hatred of Naruto for something he had no control over. "Actually, Naruto Uzumaki is the heir to the Uzumaki and Namikaze thrones."

This caused an uproar of whispers that the elders emitted amongst themselves. They turned to whisper in the other ears before it quieted down for a moment and the higher ups regained their composure.

"Namikaze? Just who were the boy's parents?"

"Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki." Hitomi replied and again, more whispers ignited among the elders. Hitomi smiled inwardly as she was very satisfied by the progress. The elders were debating yes, but they all seemed very confused and would constantly contradict each other instead of readily agreeing with each other. If all goes according to plan, Naruto just might have a second home in the Hyuuga Clan.

The elders on the other hand were debating whether or not Hitomi was lying or not. The boy admittedly did have the uncanny resemblance to the late Fourth Hokage, but he also had a few differences from the man that matched his mother's profiles very well. The Hyuuga elders did know of Kushina Uzumaki, how could they not? She was known far and wide as the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" and she was friends with their matriarch as well. Whenever Kushina came over, the Hyuugas would constantly be on guard, fearing her of her short fuse and enormous temper, and her monstrous strength.

And since they had seen Naruto plenty of times before he was introduced into the Hyuuga Clan, they could very well see that they boy had some of Kushina's looks as well as majority of her traits and behaviors.

The elderly Hyuuga tried to find loopholes around this, but found out they could not for logical reasons that the boy's heritage was that, in fact, it did match, and the Hyuuga elders had heard plenty of times before from the Sandaime that Naruto was the late Fourth Hokage's legacy, further proving the boy's background.

They looked at each other once more before facing the clanhead and the matriarch with stern, yet frustrated eyes. "How will this… benefit us, the Hyuuga?"

Hitomi nearly jumped up for joy at the approval, but managed to quash her excitement and joy for a moment. "Well for one, Hinata and Naruto has seemed to forge a bond with each other. If we can further push them together and unlock Naruto's abilities, then his power of the Uzumaki and Namikaze will greatly be in our favor."

The elders all nodded, liking where this conversation was heading. Yes, if Naruto managed to unlock his clans' powers and build a strong relationship with the Hyuuga through Hinata, then the clan would have an unstoppable force that would be in their control. Not to mention that they would also have the Nine-Tailed Fox under their command as well.

Hiashi spoke up for the second time in the conversation. "So we have proposed that my brother and I train him so he can be able to unlock his full potential sooner than the Ninja Academy ever would."

This caused a few anger shouts to come from the elders. "So you're saying that you want to teach an _outsider_ the way of the _Hyuuga_?!"

"Heavens no," Hiashi explained with a wave of his hand, "my brother and I will train him, yes, but we'll help him develop a new fighting style technique that isn't of the Hyuuga." This greatly calmed the constant buzzing of the Hyuuga elders as they relaxed a little. A few whispered amongst themselves before calming once again.

"We, the elders of the Hyuuga Clan, accept your terms. The boy may be allowed inside the Hyuuga Clan's walls as a disciple and an associate of the Hyuuga. He will train here every day to hone his skills that will provide usefulness to us and we give permission for his bond with our heiress to grow."

Hitomi and Hiashi gave a slight bow to the elders and were dismissed shortly afterwards. After Hiashi slid the door closed and began walking with his wife, Hitomi began to cheer silently as she hugged her husband and he returned the embrace.

"I can't believe it Hiashi! We have done it! Little Naruto can stay with us!" Hitomi beamed with tears of joy sprinkling their eyes.

Hiashi gave out an annoyed grunt. "He had better not be a deadweight. I hate slackers."

Hitomi just laughed and pulled her husband along. "I know that you like boy too, Shi-shi. No let us go spread the good news to them! I bet our little Hinata-hime will be elated!"

…

Once the two adults made it Hinata's room, they realized they were too late. Hinata, Hanabi and Naruto were all lying on the floor as they slept. Naruto had his limbs spread out far and wide from his body while little Hanabi rested snuggly on the boy's chest. Hinata was on the right side of Naruto and she was using one of his arms as a pillow while she slept on her left side with her knees tucked slightly into her. Naruto was snoring loudly with a snot bubble rising and falling as he breathed in and out through his nose.

Hiashi was thoroughly annoyed that _both_ of his daughters seemed to like the boy enough that they _slept_ on him with no problem. He was equally annoyed that the Uzumaki was a loud and heavy sleeper. He was starting to regret his decisions of allowing the boy into his home.

Hitomi, on the other hand, was amused at the scene in front of her. She quickly got the blanket from Hinata's bed and gently placed it over the three. Hinata and Hanabi twitched, but they remained in their dreams; while Naruto didn't move a muscle as he continued to snore mumbling "give me back my ramen you creep," a few times in his slumber.

Hitomi quietly slid the door closed with a soft click. Hiashi turned away and started to walk towards their bedroom. "Well I guess that settles that… although I would be a little more comfortable if the boy slept in a different room than with our daughters…" He grumbled, but he suddenly felt a tug and he was suddenly turned around, courtesy of his wife.

"Oh no you don't, you haven't answered my question. And besides…" She purred as she pulled on her husband's collar, yanking him down enough so that her mouth was near his ear. "… The children are asleep and there will be no interruptions tonight. So what do you say my sweet?"

Hiashi blushed and started to stammer horribly. Hitomi just smirked and started to drag her poor man along towards their bedroom. "I see you still have no answer. Well I can fix that with one of my little games… Shi-shi dear…"

* * *

A few days later, Naruto was busy at his home, washing himself up. The clanhead of the Hyuuga Clan, or known as Hiashi Hyuuga, and recently told Naruto that he will be training with him, his brother Hizashi Hyuuga, his best friend Hinata Hyuuga, and occasionally Neji Hyuuga as well. The blonde was elated that he was finally getting some real training instead of the Academy's slow drills and teachings, but he was a bit peeved that he had to wake up at 6:00 AM _**every single morning, every single day.**_

Naruto yawned tiredly as he washed his blonde unruly hair slowly. It was 5:30 AM and it was early September. It was autumn, but it wasn't at all cold in Konohagakure. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Yes, the Village Hidden in the Leaves did have autumn, but it always looked like summer whenever the cold season came. And it wasn't even cold at all in the Land of Fire!

Naruto yawned again and turned the showerhead's knobs until the water ceased its flow. The 6 year old boy climbed out of the shower slowly, grabbed an orange towel on the towel rack, and began to scrub himself dry. After that, he made his way towards his bedroom and looked around with his infamous closed-eyes until he spotted his wardrobe. Almost as slow as a turtle, Naruto walked over to it and began sifting around until he found some suitable clothes.

He found some and began to put them on. Naruto wore an orange hoodie vest with a blue undershirt, green shorts, black wristbands on each wrist, and blue sandals. Naruto, feeling a bit more awake now, quickly made his way over to the door and skipped his breakfast. Hitomi had told him that he needn't get any because she would provide that for him. He protested at first, but went along with it because he loved the Hyuuga's cooking… Even if it wasn't as great as ramen…

"Alright!" He beamed as he grinned. He reached for the door and turned the knob. "Time to go—!" Before he could push open the door, his cerulean eyes caught something. There, on a round table, were green goggles that shined when the sun hit its lenses. "Oh! I can't forget these!" He snatched them up and put them on. "Hinata bought me these after all!" He smiled brightly as he recalled the memory.

_FLASHBACK BEGINS_

_It was at least three days after Naruto visited the Hyuuga Compound for the very first time. Naruto was busy playing with Hinata in the mansion of the main branch's household as the two children played a game of tag. Naruto was quickly gaining on Hinata and tackled her to the ground before she could veer a sharp right down the next hallway._

"_Haha! I gotcha Hinata!" Naruto grinned as he pinned her down onto the floor. "I win this round!"_

_Hinata's face erupted into a shade of red as she looked up to see Naruto kneeling on all fours on top of her. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish for a few moments before speaking audile words. "Y-Y-Yes Na-Naruto. C-Congradulations on y-your win. I-I'm happy f-for y-you!" She squeaked, seeing black spots clouding her vision._

_Naruto gave her his lopsided grin before getting off of her, thus saving her from a fainting spell. He always liked playing with Hinata. She was such a good sport that whenever he became competitive, she wouldn't yell or scream at him being unfair or cocky. Though he never understood why her face heated up whenever he touched or even looked at her; he thought that she was just acting weird and shrugged it off every time._

_Hinata stood up, with the help of Naruto which ultimately made her blush again, and started to dust off her clothes. She was about to suggest another game when she remembered something. "N-Naruto?"_

_He turned to look at her. "Yeah Hinata?"_

_She started to fidget a little before ducking her head down and looked at the floor. "I-I just remembered th-that I bought you a p-present. W-Would you like to h-have it?"_

_Naruto was shocked that she had even considered getting him something. It was almost his birthday, but he never celebrated it because the villagers would all hunt him down on that day and that no one would ever show up to his birthday's except for the Third Hokage._

_So when Hinata offered him a present, you can bet that he accepted._

_Hinata smiled happily as she ran down the hall. She heard him following her so she turned around quickly and held up both of her hands. "W-Wait here please. I-It's an s-surprise!" She said as she smiled gently and began running down the hallway before making a right. Naruto complied to her wish and stayed put. He got impatient fairly quickly and started to distract himself to occupy his time. He would pace around to and fro, he would tap his feet in a fast manner, or he would rock on his heels while he thought about ramen and being Hokage._

_Three minutes had passed and that's when the hyperactive boy noticed the shy girl approaching him with a small rectangular box. It was a beautiful wrapped box that had a background lavender coloring with dark purple sashes running across it. There was a single pale purple bow where the sashes intersected and met._

_Hinata thrusted the box out to Naruto and he took it with shaky hands. The blonde blinked before he brought the box up to his eyes before sniffing it. Hinata giggled at his display of curiosity before smiling warmly at him._

"_O-Open it." She said as she prodded the boy on._

_He looked at her in confusion before looking back at the box. He hesitated at first, but he calmed down once Hinata put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Naruto gulped before he began to carefully unwrap the box. He removed the top of it and gasped in surprise. It was a pair of green goggles that were shinning as the light of the hallways reflected off of it. These were the goggles he had been staring at for quite a while now. He had wanted these so desperately, but he couldn't afford it because of the expensive and outrageous prices it entailed with it._

"_H-How did you—?"_

"_I-I saw you looking at them a-at that clothing shop when we passed it to go h-home. You l-looked like you wanted it so much, th-that I decided to buy it f-for y-you…" She said as she cut him off and started fidget and blush when the Uzumaki stared at her. "W-Was that so wr-wrong…?"_

_Naruto owlishly blinked before he snapped back into reality. He waved his arms around in a frantic manner to try and sooth his best friend. "N-No! I'm just surprise is all… It's not wrong, it's totally cool! Thanks a lot Hinata, I really like it, believe it!" He grinned as he gave her a big whomping hug. She gave a small smile and hugged him back before she went limp in his arms and fainted._

_FLASHBACK ENDS (KAI!)_

Naruto was brought out of his reminisces when he heard the alarm clock beep. He turned to peer at it and read that it was 5:45 AM.

"Oh crap! I'm gonna be late!" He screamed as he quickly dashed out of the door, closing and locking it shut. After that, the blonde began to zip along the streets of Konoha yelling: "Hiashi-sensei's gonna have my ass if I don't be there on time!"

A few minutes later, Naruto was heaving in and out a few feet away from the Hyuuga compound. He was soo focused on getting to the compound as fast as he could; he didn't realize that he had pushed his speed to its limit. After all, the Hyuuga Clan was far away from where the whiskered boy lived.

Naruto quickly regained his breath before he walked up to the two guards and gave them a small wave. "Hey guys!" Naruto smiled as he greeted them cheerfully.

The two branch members nodded respectfully towards the blonde. "Greetings, Master Naruto. Lady Hitomi and Lady Hinata are expecting you."

"Also, Lord Hiashi was relaying to us that if you did not show during the required time, he would either pursue you himself or we would have to find you and escort you him to his office." The other guard said.

Naruto paled at that. It seemed that the head of the Hyuuga Clan always seemed to put him on edge even if the man wasn't present. It's like if anyone even mentioned Hiashi, Naruto's face would instantly drain of its tan color and his body would attain a rigid position.

The Uzumaki boy laughed nervously as he started to scratch the back of his unruly hair. "Heh, w-well I'm here now! No need to get him out here! Heh… Heh…"

The two guards were amused by Naruto's nervousness but they only showed a glint in their eyes to show that they were. They nodded to the blonde, went on either side of the gates, and opened the enormous wooden doors enough so that they blonde boy could enter.

Naruto gave them his thanks and proceeded through the compound with a run. The inside still looked the same when he first got here, but the only difference was that all of the Hyuuga members seemed much more relaxed around him. A few were even smiling as he ran by. Ever since Naruto was taken under Hiashi and Hizashi's wing, the two brothers also trained Hinata and Neji together. They would sometimes spar to show off their skills or improve their mistakes. So far Neji has won all of them, but Hinata is starting to prove difficult for him in their matches. She is slowly, but surely, getting stronger and wiser from her mistakes and she is starting to push her cousin, if only a little bit. Ever since this happened, the houses of the Hyuuga Clan has learned to live in harmony with each other and the branch members seem calm to know that they are good enough for the head of the Hyuuga Clan to teach one of their own.

And it was all thanks to one exuberant and obnoxious hyperactive blonde boy.

The Uzumaki heir veered a left down a stone path and was brought to the main branch's mansion. There was a steel gate around its perimeter and two branch member guards to go along with it. Once they saw Naruto, they gave him their greetings and opened the gate for him. Once inside, Naruto heard fighting and lots of grunts. He slowed his pace to a trot and went down the long hallways. The noises got louder and turned left to be met with the training field.

It was a rather big place; it had many wooden poles and few dummies that were protruding from the ground here and there. The field had neatly cut grass that also had a few dirt patches, and way in the back of the field was a giant koi fish pond with a meadow full of exotic and beautiful flowers. Hinata had told him that that meadow was where she and her mother went to plant flowers. She said that they had started that meadow all on their own, which was surprising considering it was vast and very numerous.

Hizashi Hyuuga was watching as Hinata and Neji sparred against one another. He was sitting on his knees on the porch that overlooked the training field and meadow. The man craned his neck to see Naruto sitting next to him and nodded towards the boy as he took of his sandals and placed it neatly beside him. After that, the blonde sat on his knees, straightened his back, gripped his knees with each hand, and watched quietly as the young heiress and her cousin spar (if you're confused as to why Naruto is quiet, well… let's just say Hinata has a huge effect on him).

The two Hyuuga children were wearing the same training attire which consisted of a black mesh shirt, a fishnet undershirt, and moveable black pants to help them move freely and be as flexible as they were.

Naruto watched as both Hyuugas sprang away from each other. They deactivated their doujutsu once they saw Naruto make his presence. Neji gave the boy a curt nod and Hinata blushed as she smiled at him and gave him a small wave. He returned his nod towards Neji, and waved at Hinata with a lopsided grin.

"Are you ready to restart Lady Hinata?" Neji asked as he paid his attention back to the shy girl.

"H-Hai…" She replied with a nod. The two got into their respective stances. They both straightened their backs and spread out one foot a fair way away from the other. They then thrusted a palm forward while the other one was brought back to their sides. Neji's stance looked sterner and rigid like a rock, while Hinata's stance looked a bit more loose and free like water.

The two Hyuugas stared at the other with calculating pale, pupiless eyes. _**"Byakugan!"**_ They both shouted as their eyes narrowed and veins began to appear around their eyes. Hinata's veins took a little longer to appear, but they went faster the first time she activated them. Their eyes instantly saw their opponents and other people's chakra networks. Their vision heightened tenfold so they could see a field of 360 degrees around them and their sight reached as far as fifty meters.

A few seconds passed and after another second, Neji and Hinata instantly charged at each other. They engaged into a fight of the **Gentle Fist** style, each dispersing chakra from their hands. Neji aimed a palm at Hinata's neck but she slapped his hand away with her own and aimed one at his intestines. He slapped her hand away hard, making her lose her balance and stumble forward.

Naruto held his breath as he watched Hinata stumble, his grip on his knees tightening and his knuckles turning white. Neji took this opportunity to aim a palm at her spine, but the palm had little chakra flowing into it so as to not hurt the 6 year old. But what surprised him and Naruto was that in a split second move, Hinata managed to twist her body out of Neji's strike as she quickly slammed her hands on the ground and swiftly flipped away from harm's way.

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped up on his feet in excitement. "How'd she do that?!"

Hizashi chuckled at Naruto's outburst before replying. "Well, we recently discovered that Lady Hinata's Nature Affinity was Water and not Earth."

Naruto tilted his blonde head to the side as he stared at the man with confusion. "Nature… Affinity…?"

Hizashi nodded as he explained. "Nature Affinity's are elemental nature transformation techniques that shinobi's use. There are many releases but there are only five basic elemental nature transformation techniques." He said as he held up five fingers.

"What are they?" The loud boy asked as he sat back down on his knees; flitting his eyes at Hinata and Neji's fight occasionally.

The clanhead of the branch house made a fist before continuing. "Wind," he said as he held up a finger, "water," he held up the second finger, "earth," held up the third, "fire," the forth went up, "and last but not least, lightning." He finished as he held up the fifth and final finger.

Naruto's cerulean eyes went as wide as saucers as he smiled hugely. "Cool! What's Hinata's? What's Neji's? What's mine?!" He asked his bombardment of never ending questions.

Hizashi laughed before he patted the boy's head. "One question at a time young Naruto. Well let's see…" The branch member said as he began to rub his chin in thought. "Neji certainly has an Earth Affinity like majority of the Hyuuga here. Watch." He pointed at the boy as he regained his footing from when Hinata grazed his side. She didn't hit him physically, but her chakra hit him enough to cause him to stagger.

Neji went back into his rigid stance, narrowing his pale eyes some more as more veins started to appear around his eyes. He then went on the offensive and forced Hinata back. "See how Neji's stance is bold and solid like a rock's?" Naruto nodded as he watched the older boy. It did seem that Neji's movements were restricted and quick, like he was a mountain and he could not be moved. "That is the fighting style of a Hyuuga that has the Earth Affinity." Hizashi smiled as he watched Naruto's focused and curious gaze fixated on his best friend and her cousin.

"That's pretty cool!" Naruto exclaimed as he leaned forward as if he tried to get closer to the spar. He blinked before he turned towards Hizashi again. "Well… What about Hinata's affinity? Doesn't she have Earth too?"

That's when the man shook his head. "Remember when I said that _majority_ of the Hyuuga here have the Earth Affinity?" The whiskered child nodded vigorously. "Well, Lady Hitomi and Lady Hinata are the _only_ two exceptions of not having the affinity."

Naruto's eyes grew wide again. "What Nature Affinities do they have?!" He asked, bouncing a little in his place.

Hizashi smiled. "Water."

Naruto blinked before he squinted his eyes into his infamous closed-eyes expression before he poked out his bottom lip and crossed his arms. "Water? Isn't that a weak Nature Affinity…?"

Hizashi sighed at that. It seemed that just because water flowed into rivers, used it for drinking and bathing, and never did anything exciting that it was just deemed boring. "No Naruto, it may seem like water doesn't do anything, but it is actually a strong affinity. It allows the user to manipulate pre-existing water, or create their own, by turning their chakra into water. It takes much more ability to create the water outside the body than to manipulate what is already available or expel it from their mouths."

"Cool! So you can actual shoot water out of your mouth?!" Naruto shouted as he grinned hugely.

"Of course. Not only that, but you can also shoot water at high speeds just by adding chakra from your lungs into the water." Hizashi chuckled as he put his hands into his sleeves. "Not only that but it is one of the most versatile of the five basic chakra natures; Water Affinity techniques can not only change shape but state as well. Moreover, the water becomes more solid in the process as well and offensive water techniques seem to inflict harm from the sudden force that they exert, which would cause massive internal damage to a human being."

Naruto just stared at the man blankly, not comprehending what Hizashi had just said a few moments ago. The long-haired man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The speed and techniques of the water hurts your attacker very badly, Naruto."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed as he bopped a fist into his hand. "Why didn't you just say so?!"

"Gyah!" Someone screamed. Both of the males paid attention back to the fight, only to see Neji's palm resting against Hinata's abdomen. The young girl coughed before her knees wobbled and then she fell on the ground on all fours. Neji back away before kneeling down and rubbing her back soothingly.

"Hinata!" Naruto screamed as he quickly got up and ran over to her. He plopped on his knees and held onto Hinata's shoulder as the girl spat out spit with a mixture of blood. The Kyuubi jailer glared at Neji just as their eyes met. "What the hell Neji! Why did you hit Hinata soo hard?! You could've let up some you jerk!"

It was Neji's turn to glare at Naruto. "I **did** restrain my might Naruto," he replied with a clipped tone, "but I forgot to recollect that Lady Hinata was getting tired at state she is in. After all, with her altering of the Hyuuga taijutsu style, it is new for her and she is just getting accustomed to it."

The blonde let his anger cool down to a minimum. "New… Hyuuga taijutsu style…?" He replied quizzically.

"Yes," another voice said, gaining the children's attention. They all turned to see that it wasn't Hizashi that was talking, but it was Hinata's mother, Hitomi speaking instead. She cast a worried glance at Hinata before continuing. "I am teaching Hinata of my fighting styles rather than the traditional Hyuuga taijutsu style. After all, we both do possess the Water Affinity and as such we must alter our style of fighting so it can feel much more natural to us."

"Miss Hitomi!" Naruto yelled excitedly as he smiled at the woman; but his smile quickly washed away when Hinata coughed again, this time into her hand. Hitomi quickly set down the plate of food she was carrying and quickly made her way over to her daughter. She scooped Hinata into her arms, activated the Byakugan, and gently tapped Hinata's midsection with two glowing fingers. Hinata's coughing immediately subsided until it was completely gone.

Naruto and Neji sighed with relief before Naruto's anger spiked again and he stood up while he pulled the Hyuuga prodigy up by the collar. "Damn it Neji! If you weren't so stupid, you would've seen that Hinata was getting tired you ass!"

Neji was winded and shocked by Naruto's strength as he was pulled up but then the collective boy began to get angry as well and stood up straighter before he slapped Naruto's hand away. "It was a _common_ _mistake_ that will be in accounting from now on, Naruto. I rarely make any mistakes but I can tell that you make numerous accounts of it given by your… _background_…" Neji hissed.

Now that was a sore spot for Naruto given that he very well knew of the kind of negative attention that he was shown. "Why you…!" Naruto growled as he took a menacing step forward, but Neji didn't flinch one bit; instead he returned Naruto's waves of anger with his own.

Naruto balled his hands into fists as his shoulders shook. "You bastard!" He screamed before he charged at the slightly arrogant older boy. Hitomi screamed for him to stop but Naruto didn't listen, instead he launched at Neji starting off with fast volleys of punches. Neji was surprised at first by Naruto's speed, given their previous sparring with each other, but he quickly steeled himself and blocked most of them and dodged the rest. After the flurry of punches stopped, Neji quickly went on the offensive and thrusted out quick and precise palm strikes with his Byakugan activated.

Naruto dodged, blocked, and slapped away as many of the strikes as he could, but a few would make its mark and slow down the blonde's movement. Naruto growled as the bombardment of palms ended and then the small boy jumped up in the air, climbing high in the sky, before he started to plummet back down and sent an axe-kick at Neji. The Hyuuga boy easily dodged by jumping away but he was caught off guard when Naruto used his speed to slip into his guard and give him a clean punch in his face.

"This is for Hinata you asshole!" Naruto screamed as he dug his fist deeper into Neji's cheek, pumping more power and a little bit of chakra (unbeknownst to him) into his arm before sending the older boy off flying into the air. Neji grunted in pain, but he quickly regained his footing just as he made contact with the ground below. Neji blinked as he stared at Naruto, and then the Hyuuga touched his throbbing cheek. He winced in pain as his pale, white eyes widened in shock.

_I've been… hit…_ Neji thought as he touched his cheek again, only to grunt in pain. _Naruto… he hit me… he actually hit _me_… I've been hit…!_ Neji was silent before he turned his gaze at Naruto. His eyes narrowed daggers at the younger boy, just as Naruto returned it with a cold gaze.

"St-Stop it… p-please…" Said a raspy voice. The two boys turned around to look at Hinata being cradled by her mother with as Hitomi held a cup of tea for Hinata to drink. Hitomi brought the cup to the heiress' lips and Hinata drank the tea gratefully. After a few moments, Hinata pushed away the tea, sat up in her mother's lap, and looked at the two boys with a small blush and a slightly stern expression. "P-Please do not fight because I have been i-injured. Wh-When you train, you do get h-hurt, but it's very rewarding th-that you know that you're getting stronger b-by correcting y-your mistakes."

Both boys blinked before they sighed through their noses. Neji walked up towards Naruto and they both went into a sort of glaring contest. Naruto crossed his arms just as Neji clenched and unclenched his fists. They both looked at Hinata again who was drinking more tea, before they turned back towards each other.

"Sorry…" They both grumbled simultaneously as they each held out a hand and shook the other's hand stiffly.

Neji narrowed his pale eyes at Naruto as his face put on an impassive expression. _The next time we spar, I won't be holding back on you, Naruto Uzumaki…_ He thought as he continued to shake the whiskered boy's hand.

_No way in hell am I going to lose to this prick again!_ Naruto thought as he smirked at Neji and sent daggers at him. _Next time, I'm gonna kick his ass into next week! Believe it!_

Hitomi sighed as she watched the boy's glares start to spark the electricity of rivalry between them. _Boys will be boys…_ She thought as she held onto her daughter as the young girl continued to drink, unaware of the scene happening in front of her. _They'll buck heads and then it turns into a full-fledged war to see who's the strongest…_

"Little Naruto!" Hitomi called out to him, waving the boy over. "Please eat your breakfast and quickly, we have somewhere to be in a few minutes."

Naruto ripped his eyes away from Neji as he stared at the Hyuuga matriarch quizzically. "Really? Where?" He said as he started to walk up to where Hitomi and Hinata were sitting (which is on the porch next to Hizashi. Hitomi moved Hinata as the boys were fighting).

Hitomi smiled. "Why, to the Uchiha Clan of course. I'm visiting an old friend and she's dying to meet you and my little flower as well!" Hinata's eyes snapped open and her tea sprayed out of her mouth just as Naruto's eyes went comically wide as his jaw dropped.

"WHAT?!" The two children both screamed at the woman.

* * *

An hour later or so, the entourage that was made up of Hinata Hyuuga, her mother Hitomi Hyuuga, and her best friend Naruto Uzumaki, were standing in front of the front and open gates of the Uchiha Clan's Compound. Hinata had put on her dark green, hood-less jacket over her training clothes as she gripped her mother's hand hard.

The Uchiha Clan was built like the Hyuuga Clan, but it was a bit altered. Inside of having Houses that were close but a bit scattered apart to create a variety of pathways, the Uchiha Clan's frontal district had one large pathway with houses and shops that were side by side. It was traditional, but it held no mystery at all.

Hitomi smiled at the two children as she clapped her hands to get their attention. "Okay Hinata, Naruto, let's put on these so as to no arose suspicion of ourselves." Hitomi gave them each a dark burgundy robe with a mask that looked oddly like the ANBU's maskwear.

"Hey, Miss Hitomi?" Naruto called out to her with a raised hand. "Why are we wearing this stuff? Isn't just enough to, ya know, walk in there without all of this?"

For this one, Hinata answered her crush's questions. Hitomi had explained to Hinata that what she was feeling around Naruto was a thing called a crush. It was something that made girls and boys that like a person a lot, made them want to be more acquainted with each other. When Hinata was given the lowdown of it, she was thoroughly embarrassed; but… she was happy nonetheless.

Hinata blushed as she recollected her thoughts. She glanced at Naruto before she looked back down at the ground. _I wonder if he feels the same way…?_ Hinata began to fidget as she tried to explain Naruto's question. "W-Well Na-Naruto, the Hyuuga and the Uchiha Clan's d-don't really see eye-to-eye. We've had m-many squabbles about whose th-the best because of our Kekkei Genkai's," she pointed to her eyes and Naruto nodded understanding a bit, "s-so that's why you rarely see any o-outsiders in the two clan's… w-with the exception of you o-of course."

Naruto blinked before he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. So he was the only outsider that actually entered the Hyuuga Clan? To him and them, it seemed like a great achievement.

"Gee," Naruto grinned as he rubbed his head, "that makes me sound all special!"

Hitomi giggled and patted the boy's unruly hair. "You are special Little Naruto, even without knowing that you are the only outsider ever to enter the Hyuuga Clan's walls. Never stop believing that you're not."

Naruto's grin went wider as he gave the woman a thumbs-up. "You got it Miss Hitomi!"

…

Hinata walked inside the Uchiha Clan with brisk and nervous strides. She was wearing the robe over her clothes and the hood that went with it was covering her face even when the mask was concealed over it. Hinata had a rabbit mask, Naruto had a fox mask, and her mother had a peacock mask. Hitomi had told them that they couldn't hold hands whatsoever so they could be discreet by their disguises. They also had to call each other code names: Hinata was "Rabbit", Naruto was "Fox", and Hitomi was "Peacock".

They made their way towards the Uchiha Clan's head's mansion and they were being escorted by two Uchiha that were guarding the gates. Hito— err, I mean, "Peacock" told the Uchiha members that they were order by the Hokage to discuss important affairs with the Uchiha Clan head. And since the Uchiha guards believed that their clan was included in something that was exclusive that only the Hokage himself needed help with, the guards let their egos get the best of them and let in the three with no complaints.

Oh, and if you're wondering how Hinata and Naruto's size went unnoticed, well, Hitomi casted a high level genjutsu on them so they could look to be about 20 years old or so (after all, the two don't know any jutsu's yet, they just started ninja school).

"Rabbit" noticed that "Fox" was bouncing around and acting usually happy for a supposed ANBU member. This did not go unnoticed by the guards and some of the Uchiha members that were walking around them.

Before Rabbit could calm down her counterpart, one of the guards beat her to the punch. "Hey, why your teammate behaving… strangely…?" The guard asked her. Rabbit sweated and she was thankful for the mask hiding her nervousness.

"U-Umm…" She started as her mind started to turn its gears rapidly. "I-It's his first day on the job. He is a rookie after all." Rabbit was surprised that she had barely stuttered. Maybe it was the mask that made talking to people much easier?

"I see…" The guard said nodding with agreement. He turned forward and kept walking with an elegant pace. "Well, keep him under control."

Rabbit nodded towards him. "Understood." She quickly went over to her friend's side and shook his shoulder. Fox looked at Rabbit and she could see through the eye holes that his blue eyes glinted with adventure. Rabbit blushed as she pulled him down a little lower so she could whisper to him. "N-Naruto, you must keep your voice down and your actions to a minimum. What i-if they catch us?!"

Fox stared blankly at her for a moment before perking up in understanding. "Oh yeah! Sorry 'bout that Hinata. Won't happen again, I promise!"

Rabbit sighed in relief. "Thank you. O-Oh, and please address me by my codename: R-Rabbit."

Fox grinned under his mask as he nodded. "Okay… Rabbit." He began to chuckle and Rabbit's face heated up to the point that her temperature was at its boiling point. She quickly let him go and continued to walk with her hands linked together out in front of her. Peacock just smiled under her mask as she watched them, but she was brought out of her merriment when she noticed that they had reached their destination.

The Uchiha Clan head's house was built in a similar construct like the Hyuuga Clan main house. The only difference was that it had the Uchiha Clan signs bannered on it and its training fields had a cluster of trees and not open fields. The guards led them up to the front entrance and knocked on the side of the house. Their front door was missing and was instead replace by white tarps that had the Uchiha Clan insignia imprinted on them. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, they all her heavy steps approach the tarps. The white sheets shimmered and moved as a young man stepped out.

He had a sort of gentle look in his eyes rather than the cold and scrutiny gaze of his fellow brethren. He had black onyx eyes, and jet-black hair that was pulled back with red elastic in a low ponytail which extended to his shoulder blades. He also had centre-parted bangs that framed his face, extending to his chin. But the most distinguishing feature was the long, pronounced tear-troughs under his eyes. He wore a black shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on the back with bandages around his ankles and black sandals. He also wore tan pants with a weapons pouch strapped to his back. While his hair was still worn in a ponytail, his bangs were considerably shorter than his brethren members that accentuating his forehead.

The young man blinked when he saw the strange group of three. "What can I do for you?" He asked in a much warmer voice than the other Uchiha.

"Ah, Itachi Uchiha," one guard greeted the male with a curt nod, "it seems that these three ANBU wanted an audience with Lord Fugaku."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "For what reason?"

"We were sent by the Lord Hokage himself to relay important news to the head of the esteemed Uchiha Clan." Peacock answered before the guards could. At the statement of esteemed, the two guards puffed out their chests while Itachi just raised a brow. Fox also made a gagging noise that made Rabbit giggle but Peacock quickly shushed them.

This went unnoticed by Itachi as he analyzed the crew, but his confirmation was correct when Peacock turned to look at him and had a slim finger against her mask's makeshift beak. The prodigy smiled a bit before addressing the guards. "I will take it from here. Thank you for bringing them, that is all."

They nodded before the left with brisk, prideful, and arrogant strides. Itachi turned towards his guests and gave them all a warm smile. "You can drop the disguises now, the coast is all clear."

"Finally," Hitomi sighed as she pulled the hood off of her head and yanked the mask off of her face. Hinata and Naruto did the same and Hitomi quickly brought her hands together as her two fingers on each hand was pressed against each other. "Release." She whispered and the genjutsu quickly dispelled, leaving two small children standing next by her.

Itachi's onyx eyes widened slightly at the two kids, but they smiled once they saw Hitomi. "Ah, Lady Hitomi, it is so nice to see you again." He greeted warmly. Hitomi just went up to the young man and engulfed him in a tight hug.

"Oh my, look how much you have grown my boy!" Hitomi said in a happy high-pitched voice. She squeezed him tighter as a small blush spread across her cheeks. "You are such a strapping young man now! Mikoto must be very proud!"

Itachi just laughed nervously as he tried to gently pry the woman off of him. He really didn't like to be in close contact with people, with the exception of his family and his best friend Shisui Uchiha, because things like this might happen. And that being he was considered very handsome among the female population wherever he went. Anyway, he managed to get her off with the help of the two children that were stationed behind her.

Hitomi giggled embarrassedly as she held her cheek in her hand. "Oh my, I must have gotten carried away. It's just it's been soo long since I've seen you last. How are you fairing, young Itachi?"

"Very well thank you." Itachi said in a friendly manner. He then turned his attention to the other two guests. "Who are these little ones Lady Hitomi?"

Hitomi clapped her hands together and then she pushed her daughter and the blonde boy forward. "Ah yes, this is my eldest daughter Hinata Hyuuga and her best friend, Naruto Uzumaki."

Hinata just stared at the man before her. She narrowed her eyes at him as she tried to find anything that was arrogant of him but strangely enough, she couldn't find any. It was like he was different from the rest of the members there and he seemed not to be wrapped up in his pride and his clan's power.

_So he's… nice…? _Hinata thought as she tilted her head a fraction of an inch and blinked at the young man.

Itachi saw the way Hinata was looking at him and he couldn't blame her. His clan was stuck up and soo absorbed with their power, it was sickening. Itachi tried to let the clan see that everyone was equal in their own powers, but they didn't listen nor did they care. It was times like these that the man thought how much better it would have been if he was born in a different clan. But if he was, then who would look after his little brother? The teen then turned his attention towards the blonde.

He was also staring at him but with closed-eyes and a confused face. Itachi knew Naruto because sometimes he would have shifts where he would have to watch the boy overnight just in case any villagers tried anything funny. The raven-haired teen thought that the whiskered child was a nice enough kid and shouldn't deserve to get punished the way he did. If he wasn't born on that fateful night, then the village would have been long since reduced to ashes and bodies littered here and there. Itachi shivered inwardly at the thought. He gave the boy a small smile and a nod before stepping aside and gesturing inside. "Please come in. I am sure that my mother is awaiting your arrival."

* * *

Naruto looked at the teen in shock as he smiled at him. He was thoroughly confused that another person was being nice to him; the first time it happened, it took him a while to wrap his head around the fact that he _actually_ had a friend. But he shrugged off the thought, and proceeded inside the mansion with Hinata and her mother ahead of him. Once inside, the mansion looked similar to the Hyuuga Clan's main branch mansion, but the only exception was that it had a giant chandelier in the foray.

"Th-This place sort of reminds me o-of home." Hinata whispered to him as she dropped her steps to match his.

Naruto put his hands behind his head as he looked up at the chandelier. "I was just thinking the same thing… I wonder who else lives here?"

"From wh-what Mister Itachi said, h-his mother lived here also. M-Maybe his father and siblings l-live here too?" Hinata questioned. Naruto just shrugged and followed their two superiors.

It only took two minutes or so, but they finally arrived at the dining room. Like the entrance, its door was missing and it was replaced with white tarps that had the Uchiha insignia. Itachi led them inside and asked them to take a seat on the pillows that were stationed around the long table. Hitomi sat on the left side with Hinata next by her and Naruto next by Hinata. Itachi walked in the kitchen, asking them to please stay seated, and disappeared for a few minutes. The kitchen tarps moved and Itachi walked inside with a woman that was slightly shorter than him, right behind him.

She was a fair-skinned woman with long, black hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and black eyes. She wore a simple dark purple blouse with a red-plum skirt and a light-yellow apron over it. And once she saw Hitomi as the woman stood up, her black eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

"H-Hitomi?! Is that you?!" She asked nearly screaming as her mouth went slightly agape.

Hitomi nodded with a small blush on her cheeks. "Hai. It's nice to see you again Mikoto." The two women walked up to each other, just standing there a few moments before the engulfed each other in hug's and started to laugh merrily.

They broke away and Mikoto just had a big smile stretched upon her lips. She took Hitomi's hands and held them in a tight grip. "My my, you look as beautiful as ever Hito-chan!"

"As do you Miko-chan!" Hitomi giggled. "I even noticed that you cut your bangs. Short really does suit you; as for me… well…"

Mikoto just sighed as she let go of her friend's hands and put her hands on her hips. "Hito-chan, you should really stop downing yourself all the time, it's unhealthy!"

Hitomi just nodded as her friend berated her. "Yes, yes, you are correct. My sincerest apologizes." She said while bowing.

"Hitomi! We are best friends! There is no need for you to be all formal! Just because we're matriarchs of two different clans doesn't mean that our business comes first before our friendship!" The woman's onyx eyes then shifted over to the two children who were staring at them curiously. She gushed once she saw the little girl hide behind the boy once she found out she was being stared at. "Who are these little ones?"

Hitomi blinked before she looked at the children before looking back at her friend. "Oh yes, you've never met them before." The two made their way over to the table with Mikoto sitting on her knees next to her eldest son and Hitomi sitting on her knees beside Hinata and Naruto. "Miko-chan, this is my daughter Hinata and her best friend Naruto."

"Hi there!" The matriarch of the Uchiha Clan smiled as she waved at the two. Hinata just gave a small "eep!" before trying to make herself fully disappear behind Naruto as a shy, dark red blush scorched her cheeks. Naruto just responded by trying to shield his friend as much as he could as he stared skeptically at the woman before him.

_Aww, they look so cute together!_ Mikoto thought a she held her cheeks as they turned red. Before she could say anything else, she thought of something. _I wonder…_

Mikoto turned to her best friend. "Would you mind if I brought someone else to accompany our little party? I'm sure he'll simply love having new guests." She asked.

"Why certainly," Hitomi said as she waved a dismissive hand, "the more the merrier I always say!"

Mikoto smiled and quickly stood up. "Please wait one moment. This won't take too long."

…

Naruto yawned boredly as he laid his head on the long table. He was getting bored at the small talk Hitomi, Hinata, and Itachi were having. Hinata was most asking the question of why he and his mother were soo nice when the rest of his clan acted like jerks. Itachi laughed at the remark while Hitomi berated her. Itachi told them that he was fine and began to answer Hinata's question as she and her mother listened intently.

Naruto for one thought that it was interesting at first, but then it got boring along the way. The blonde munched on a triangle sandwich that Itachi had provided them, along with tea and cookies. For a guy, he cooked pretty well. After his snack, Naruto yawned again and started to doze off into a dream where he was swimming nakedly in a bowl of ramen.

_Naruto swam around in the gigantic pool sized bowl of ramen. He floated on his back as he slurped up a long ramen noddle that was perched in the corner of his lip. He sighed happily once he finished and relax as the yummy tasting ramen sauces lapped at his skin as he stayed afloat of the waves._

_He suddenly heard a tiny noise that sounded like a voice, but he ignored it. The voice generally got louder and it made Naruto stop floating on his back and start to look around in search of the voice._

"… _ru… N… a… to…" The soft voice continued to call and it also made Naruto's patience ware thin. The small boy then started to swim in the direction the voice was calling from, and its calls started to get louder._

"… _ruto… Na… ruto…" It called again. The whiskered boy then realized that the voice was chanting his name. He started to swim a bit faster and the calls getting louder. He swam until he was at an edge of the bowl, and that's when the voice started to get clearer._

"_Naruto!" The voice screamed._

"_Huh? What?" Naruto answered looking around for the source of the voice. All of a sudden, a pair of dainty, pale hands grappled onto the edge where Naruto was leaning against. Naruto blinked as he saw Hinata poke her head up and… bunny ears stuck out of her head…?_

"_Hi-Hinata?!" Naruto shouted in shock as the girl glared at him with annoyance apparent on her face. She was wearing a white sundress with white slippers, and also had small whiskers that were around her nose as her nose twitched cutely._

"_Wake up Naruto! Wake up!" She yelled at him as she pulled out a golden watch and pointed at the time as if he was late for something._

_He tilted his head in confusion as he scratched his unruly and unkempt hair. "But why?"_

_Hinata sighed before she dunked his head in the ramen and he started to thrash around wildly. "Just wake up!" She screamed._

Naruto snapped his head up from the table and looked around wildly. His heart drummed in his chest as he expected to see Bunny Hinata jump out of nowhere yelling at him to "Wake up!" as she pointed at a golden watch angrily. Instead he saw a slightly frightened, slightly worried Hinata wearing a dark green, hoodless jacket, brown capri pants, and brown sandals.

"Na-Naruto?" Hinata squeaked as she stared at him shyly and worriedly. "A-Are you o-okay?"

Naruto just answered by turning towards her and grabbing her face in his hands. Her face turned red by this action, but Naruto was naturally oblivious to it. He tilted her head down and looked atop of her head.

_There's no bunny ears…_ Naruto thought as he sighed in relief. But he suddenly tensed again. _But what if…_ He then used a hand to feel around Hinata's hair.

Hinata's face turned crimson as she felt her crush feeling around her hair. She had never been this close to Naruto before. He was soo close; she could smell scent at full force and listen to his steady and rhythmatic breathing. He was soo close… she could actually touch his chest.

_Wh-Why i-is he d-doing th-this…?!_ Hinata screamed in her mind as her face deepened its crimson color as her lips started to quiver cutely. The young heiress felt her vision get blotchy before her head started to spin. She quickly pushed Naruto off of her as she started to sway before she collapsed in her mother's lap. And then she did what she hadn't done for a while.

She fainted.

Naruto was looking at his friend in confusion as she pushed him away. He noticed that her face was really red and he thought that she had a fever. When she suddenly fell in her mom's lap and didn't move, Naruto thought the worst.

"Oh man! Did I kill her?!" Naruto screamed as he started to wave his hands around frantically. This made the two adults laugh at Naruto's cluelessness.

Hitomi suppressed her laughter into small giggles. "N-No Little Naruto, Hinata just fainted that's all."

Naruto blinked before he sighed in relief. "Oh…" He went silent for a moment before he spoke again. "She must be really tired then."

Hitomi and Itachi looked at each other before they looked back at him with their sweat dropping. "Umm, something like that Little Naruto." Hitomi said as she smiled at him nervously.

After a few moments, Hinata regained her consciousness but she still had a dark red blush that was on her cheeks and that wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Naruto instantly struck up a conversation with her saying that she should really get more rest if she keeps collapsing like that. Hinata nodded and apologized, thankful that he hadn't discovered anything, but she was also sad that he didn't get a hint at all. The four began talking again, this time Itachi was explaining what his life was like as an ANBU; this made Naruto interested as he listened to the older boy's life as a ninja.

"Sorry for the delay everyone!" Mikoto said as she came bursting in the room, pulling along a boy with her. "You wouldn't believe how stubborn my son is." The small boy that was pulled by Mikoto snorted as he made his presence known by stepping out from behind his mother.

Naruto and Hinata blinked at the boy before their eyes turned comically white. "EH?!" They screamed as they saw who it was.

It was none other than boy, Sasuke Uchiha, the top kid in Iruka Umino's class. Only this time he was wearing a blue shirt with a raised collar and the Uchiha crest on the back, and black shorts.

Sasuke turned his attention towards them and his eyes also turned comically white. The three stared at each other in silence before Naruto stood up along with Hinata.

"What the hell are you doing here Sasuke?!" Naruto shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at him while a vein protruded on his skull.

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "I should be asking you the same thing you loser." That made Naruto rile up even more as he shook a fist at him in anger. Sasuke ignored him and was equally surprised when he saw Hinata there, eyeing him nervously and skeptically.

_What is she doing here…?_ Sasuke thought, but then he turned his narrowed onyx eyes at her. "I should be asking why you are here as well, _Hyuuga_."

Mikoto looked at appalled by her youngest son's behavior. She put her hands on her hips as she stood in front of him with a stern gaze. "Sasuke Uchiha! I will not tolerate this kind of behavior while our guests are here. Now please show them the kind respect they deserve young man."

All the while she was talking; Sasuke noticed movement in the corner of his eyes and focused on it. He saw Hinata looking at him from behind his mother with narrowed eyes. She then squinted her pale eyes shut and stuck her tongue out at him. Sasuke blushed and ground his teeth as he forced out a: "Yes mother," when his mother finished speaking.

Mikoto nodded and pulled Sasuke along to sit next by her and his big brother. The table went uncharacteristically quiet as the children all glared at each other… well it was more like Naruto and Hinata glaring at Sasuke while he in turn glared at them. The adults sweat were dropping as the children displayed a large amount of killing intent at the table.

Naruto reached for another sandwich, just as Sasuke reached out for the same one. When both of their hands touched at the same time, the two boys glared at each other as the sparks of rivalry ignited between the two's gazes.

Hitomi sweat-dropped as she rose up a finger. "Why don't the three of you go play outside?" She suggested. She then leaned forward towards Itachi and raised a hand over her mouth as she whispered, "please keep an eye on them Itachi. I don't want them to try and strangle each other when they get out there."

"Understood." Itachi said as he stood up and began herding his brother away from Naruto and led him outside. Hitomi gestured for her two charges to go ahead and the complied, albeit reluctantly.

* * *

Sasuke narrowed his black onyx eyes as he watched Naruto and Hinata chase each other around the training field. His brother had led them to one of the three training fields they had, and he chose the biggest one that he, and sometimes Sasuke, usually practiced on. Now the youngest son was _more_ than a little miffed that his favorite training area was being used as a petty _playground_. Sasuke folded his arms and tapped on of his slender fingers against his arms as he now watched as Hinata chase Naruto. What was the point of this game anyway? All you were doing as capturing the other player with a touch and that player started to run after you once you started to get away. It was nothing more than running. It had no ulterior objective; it had no complex detailed structure. How pathetic. How lame.

"Sasuke," His brother Itachi called out to him, "would you like to join Lady Hinata and Naruto?"

Sasuke just turned his head and seemed to stare at his brother like he was crazy. Itachi raised a brow at this until Sasuke suddenly sighed. "No I would not like to join them. This game has no motive instead to run. I'm pretty sure that is what training and the Ninja Academy is for, Big Brother."

Itachi sighed. He sincerely wished that his brother wouldn't attain the Uchiha's arrogance that most of the members here had. He wanted his little brother to make friends and enjoy his young life, not become a hard shell of his former self so soon in his early childhood. But what could he do? He had been suggesting to his father and other clan members at the Uchiha Clan meetings that they try to see that the other clans are their equals and should treat them with respect as such to gain more support from them when the time called for it… but they just shrugged it off and told him that Uchiha's needed no support, that they were the strongest in the entire village.

Itachi blinked before he tilted his head up to look at the sky. It very sunny today and little wisps of clouds littered the skies here and there. He ran a hand through his long hair as he sighed through his nose. _The Hyuuga's have seen the errors of their ways when they become too overconfident…_ The young man thought as he looked at Hinata as she tried to hide behind a wooden post before she started to run again when Naruto caught up to her and started to chase her again. His lips twitched into a small smile. _She was the one who has shown them that… Now they are much more open with their fellow comrades and are not embarrassed to ask for help if the time ever called for it… Now why can't we…?_

Sasuke was staring at his brother quizzically. After he had given his answer, the older boy was suddenly looking at the sky as if it would get him the answers he needed. Itachi was a mystery, and not just to Sasuke but to most of the Uchihas of the Uchiha Clan. The only one that seemed to understand Itachi was his best friend, Shisui Uchiha. Sasuke had seen that man once before. Shisui had short, unkempt, dark-coloured hair and a relatively broad nose and well-defined eyelashes, which were turned upwards at each end. He wore the standard attire of the Uchiha Clan which included a high-collared, dark-coloured outfit along with a tantō strapped to the right side of the back of his shoulder. He also wore what appeared to be a harness for his tantō which ran across his chest and fastened over both of his shoulders.

"Hey Sasuke," Itachi said as he broke the boy out of his thoughts.

He looked up at Itachi who was still staring at the clouds. "Yeah Itachi?"

Itachi blinked before he looked down at his brother, smiling. His eyes smiled also before he suddenly held up his forefinger and thumped it against the center of Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke grunted in slight pain as he rubbed his forehead. Itachi always did that to him for reason why he couldn't understand, and each time it would always hurt. Sasuke glared at his brother while the young man just chuckled.

"Now go over there and play. Training is important, yes, but too much training can cause some damage to your body. Even I know that you have to relax once and a while. So that's why I always have a day of rest out of each week." Itachi explained to the boy in a slight scolding tone.

Sasuke just stared at him with wide eyes. Itachi had a day of rest? He knew how to relax? But his brother always seemed so adamant on becoming a better ninja, and he was the best in the entire Uchiha Clan. But now that he thought about it, Sasuke would occasionally see his brother on a particular day of the week just reading or resting. Sasuke felt slightly embarrassed that his brother, the most skilled ninja in the entire Uchiha Clan, knew how to kick back and relax and enjoy himself while he, his younger brother that was 7 years old, didn't… How can that be possible?!

Sasuke stared at the two friends for a moment, before he sighed begrudgingly and started to stiffly make his way over to them. It was humiliating that he had to stoop to the level of playing with other kids that were far beneath him; but it was even more embarrassing that he didn't know how to relax, given his age, while his older brother did. Sasuke sighed again and stood in front of Hinata, making her stop running.

Hinata was staring at Sasuke skeptically as he had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was standing in front of her with an air of indifference, but there was frustration in his black onyx eyes. Hinata balled her hands into fists as she held them against her chest. She back away a step when Sasuke grunted and turned his gaze towards her.

"Wh-What do you w-want?" Hinata asked in a clipped voice as she held up her hands in a defensive position, as if waiting for an attack. "A-Are you here to make fun of u-us or something?"

"No…" Sasuke growled softly as he crossed his arms. His voice strained as he forced out the next part through clenched teeth. "I. Want. To. Play. With. You."

Hinata's eyes widened as she stared at the boy in shock. Had she heard him correctly? Hinata rubbed her eyes and blinked, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She then dug in her ears as if she hadn't heard what the brooding boy in front of her had implied. "Wh-What did you s-say…?" She asked in a soft and disbelieving voice.

Sasuke grunted in annoyance as he turned to face the girl fully. Was she an idiot? Had she not heard him correctly? He hated repeating himself, especially for this case alone. Sasuke felt his arms fall and he balled his hands into fists. "I wish to… play with you and… the los— Naruto…" He said with a small blush while his shoulders were shaking.

Hinata's lavender-tinted eyes blinked before she went to assess the situation. Sasuke wanted to play with her and Naruto for reasons she had yet to understand. But Hinata, being the pure-hearted, kind, and forgiving girl that she was, thought that Sasuke was feeling lonely that he didn't have anyone to play with and she smiled gently at him. Before she could answer, someone bumped into her and suddenly leaned on her shoulder. That someone was none other than Naruto Uzumaki.

"Ohh, so the great Sasuke Uchiha wishes to shine his greatness on little ol' us by playing with us hmm?" Naruto said as he smirked evilly at Sasuke. Said Uchiha gave Naruto a cold stare and his fists clenched tighter until the knuckles turned white. Naruto stopped leaning on Hinata, who was blushing the whole time he did that, and started to dig in his ear with a pinky. "I dunno Hinata, if we let the great Sasuke play with us, we might get hurt by his all-powerful strength that he'll use on us."

Sasuke ground his teeth at the tanned boy as Hinata looked back and forth at the two with worry evident on her face. Hinata turned towards Naruto and held up her dainty, pale hands to try to get the boy to dim down on the remarks. "N-Naruto, maybe we should—!"

"Forget it!" Sasuke snapped and he turned around and started to storm over to his brother, we was watching the display with amused eyes.

"W-Wait! S-Sasuke!" Hinata called out to him, he just ignored her and continued to trudge away. Hinata looked from Naruto who was huffing and crossing his arms as he looked in a different direction, back to Sasuke until she started to run towards Sasuke, pulling a surprised Naruto along with her, and put a hand on the raven-haired boy's shoulder. Sasuke looked at her as she stared at him. "N-Naruto didn't really mean i-it Sasuke. It was just a j-joke that's all."

"No it wasn't! I really did— Ow!" Naruto started but was interrupted when Hinata pinched him on the arm and slightly glared at him. Naruto grumbled for a bit before he looked away while rubbing his stinging and slightly red arm. "Sorry… Sasuke…" He forced out with slight distaste.

Hinata turned back towards Sasuke with a friendly smile while the boy stared at her with a raised brow. "S-See? Na-Naruto didn't really mean it; i-it was just a joke. Would y-you still like to play with us?" She asked him.

Sasuke looked at her smiling face, to Naruto's glaring one, then back again. He blinked slowly as his mind started to turn a bit slowly before the started to function properly. She wanted to play with him? After everything he has said and done to her? Sasuke stared at Hinata with a little interest gleaming in his eyes. Hinata Hyuuga was like other girls, that was for sure, and she didn't treat him like he was a saint, which he was grateful yet oddly perplexed by it. He would have to study about her more in order to fully comprehend her being. So in order to do that, he needed to get closer to her.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted as he nodded his head slowly.

Hinata smiled a shy smile and took him by the hand also. "Gr-Great! Now let's go play a different g-game!" She thought about it for a moment before she brightened up and started to pull the two boys along. "Oh I-I know! L-Let's go play hide and go seek!"

* * *

Hinata giggled as she hugged the tree trunk harder to conceal herself more into the tree. She, Naruto, and Sasuke were all playing hide and go seek, and Sasuke was "it". The raven-haired boy was in the center of the filed, counting, while she and Naruto were hiding away from him, hoping that once he reached ten that the boy wouldn't find them. Hinata focused her gaze from the counting Sasuke to try to locate where Naruto was hiding. She instantly found the boy by his bright, blonde hair. Naruto was hiding behind semi-thick shrubs that were to Sasuke's right. She could see the blonde snickering as he gazed out at Sasuke. He was probably thinking about how great his hiding spot was when it did nothing to hide his bright hair.

"Nine, ten." Sasuke finished and uncovered his eyes from his hands. The boy looked around and started to walk to try and find them. Hinata faintly gasped as she hugged the trunk of the tree tightly against her body as if trying to merge with it. Hinata was at least fifteen feet up in the air and she wasn't fazed at all by the dangerous height she had just climbed up (foreshadowing!).

Meanwhile, Naruto was snickering his hiding spot thinking that Sasuke would never find him. _No way will he find me in time! This is a great hiding spot, believe it!_ Naruto thought, now cackling evilly.

"Found you." A voice said from behind him. Naruto tensed instantly and slowly turned his head to see Sasuke standing right behind him with a look contempt and arrogance etched across his face. He smirked at Naruto while the whiskered boy just blinked before he glared at him.

"Damn it!" Naruto screamed as he shot up on his feet and shook a fist at Sasuke. A few leaves were stuck in his hair as he shouted at the brooding boy. "How in the hell did you find me?!"

Sasuke just huffed and looked at Naruto with a blank expression on his face. "These shrubs are easy to see through you loser. You're an idiot if you didn't notice that."

Naruto looked at the shrubs and sweat-dropped once he saw that there were noticeable gaps and holes in the bushes that was plainly see-through. Naruto growled before he suddenly came up with an idea and turned to look at Sasuke with a smug expression as he put his hands on his hips. "Ha! I knew that from the start, believe it! I just wanted you to win because I was just going easy on you!"

"Hn. Whatever." Sasuke grunted before he pushed his way through the bushes and stalked off to somewhere else.

Naruto noticed that his rival was missing and looked around to find him. When he did, he noticed that he was walking away from him, occasionally stopping to look around before he proceeded onwards again.

Naruto looked at him in confusion before he ran up to catch up to him. "H-Hey! Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke remarked as he looked off in a different direction. "I'm looking for Hinata. At least she was _smart_ enough to _try_ and hide unlike you did you loser."

Naruto felt a vein pop on his head while he ground his teeth. "Bastard…!"

* * *

Hinata was watching Sasuke and Naruto bickering as they went around to try to look for her. She smiled once they went far away and gave out a small sigh in relief. Hinata had never really thought of herself to be good at Hide-and-go-seek, but she was glad that she was skilled enough for her purser to not capture her straight away like he did with Naruto.

_Okay!_ Hinata thought as she looked at a bigger branch that was to the side of her. _Now I just have to slowly make my way down and quietly get to the home post and then I win!_ Hinata smiled at the thought and she shifted around the tree's trunk a little so that her back was against it. Hinata felt sweat roll down her brow as she looked at the branch she was supposed to hop over to. It was quite a ways away from her and it would demand a focused mind and a strong body to leap over to. But the question was…

… Did she have any of that…?

Hinata was only 6 years old and that meant that her physical attributes hasn't set in yet. And she hasn't developed muscle strength yet because of her physical state she was in now and when she was a premature babe which was a horrible disadvantage for her.

"But…!" Hinata whispered as she clenched her fists and stared at the branch determinately. "N-Naruto never gives up, and neither should I!" Hinata gave one last hesitant look at the branch as she gulped, but the she shook her head and bunched up her leg muscles, preparing for the jump. "One… Two… Three…!" Hinata jumped towards the branch but she lost her footing at the jump and just barely miss the branch.

Hinata slammed against the branch with her chest, making her winded for a few seconds. She slumped over the branch as she groaned in pain. She suddenly felt herself starting slip which made her eyes snap wide and fear coursing through her veins as her heart began to thump faster. Before she plummeted to the ground, Hinata managed to grab onto the branch with a small, pale hand but since she was a small child and the branch was thick, it didn't quite wrap around it. Hinata felt her fingers slowly start to lose its grip and her eyes looked down at her dangling, frozen body and the ground that was fifteen feet below her. She now realized that if she slipped and hit the ground, she could get critically injured or worse…

… She could die…

Hinata's throat felt dry as her head slowly looked back up to see that her pinky lost its grip and it made her body sway slightly as she squeaked at the movement. Four fingers were now holding onto the branch and they were slowly losing their grip. Time was ticking and Hinata's heart rate continued to escalate in fear. So she did the only thing she could think of…

She screamed.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke stopped walking and arguing once the heard a feminine and earsplitting scream. Naruto has heard a scream like that before, and it made his heart beat faster in fear as he knew who it was. "Hinata…?" She said to no one in particular as he looked behind him to where the scream was heard from. His eyes widened and his heart temporarily stopped. There. Right there, he could see a tiny form of a girl dangling from a tree branch, fifteen feet in the air. It was Hinata.

"Hinata!" Naruto screamed and he hightailed it away from Sasuke towards where the shy girl was hanging from. Sasuke looked at Naruto with slight confusion as the boy sprinted towards a tree, but them the brooding boy saw what the blonde was looking at and his eyes went wide before narrowing.

"That idiot!" Was all Sasuke could say before he ran to catch up to Naruto and the two then used all of their speed to try and save Hinata before it was too late.

Hinata's eyes watered before tears started to stream down her face. She was at finger number three now and she sobbed quietly as her body swayed dangerously from the wind and her lack of grip. This was not how she pictured her death. Heck, she didn't even pictured what her death would look like before. But here she was, hanging from a tree, fifteen feet in the air, over a hard ground below her with no grass to cushion her impact.

Hinata gasped as her body began to sway once more signaling that she was at finger number two now. _Please…_ Hinata thought as she felt the wind bellow in her short and silky hair. Her body shivering from the cold as her salty tears were the only warmth that provided her body. _Someone…! Anyone…! Please… save me… please…! _Finger number two went down and only one finger was supporting her body. But it only lasted for a few seconds because that lone finger could not hold all of the weight that the rest of the young heiress' body contained. Hinata gasped as she felt her body start to fall as she watched as the branch that she was holding onto, her literal life-support, get farther and farther away from her. Hinata's eyes watered up more before she closed them and braced herself from death to overtake her.

But she only had one thought as she was falling.

_Naruto…_ Hinata felt her body hit something and waited to see light in her closed-eyed vision. She waited a few seconds to see the lights of heaven, but… it never came… Hinata peaked one open, but she opened the next and looked around. She realized that she was staring at the sky so that must've meant that she was lying on her back. She sat up and rubbed her head. She looked around again to see that she was still on the training field sitting next by the tree that she had fallen from.

"What…? I'm… alive…?" Hinata questioned as she lifted up her hands and stared at them in disbelief. They were shaking, but they were still warm, so that meant her blood hadn't stopped. But to make sure, she placed a hand on her heart and felt for its beat. It was still beating! Although its beat was quickened from the little fall she had but she could easily calm it down later. Right now she wanted to revel in the feeling of being ali— wait… was that groaning she heard?

The groaning happened again and she realized that it was happening right under her. The shy girl looked down to see Naruto and Sasuke laying on their bellies as the groaned and winced in pain. Hinata blinked slowly before she realized that she was sitting on top of them! The Hyuuga squeaked in surprise and embarrassment as she quickly jumped off of them.

"N-Naruto?! Sa-Sasuke?!" Hinata shouted in a shrill voice. The two boys slowly but painfully got up and rubbed their aching and stinging backs. Naruto yelped in pain as he touched the small of his back while Sasuke just winced and held in his cry of pain.

"Are you…" Naruto started as he stretched his back and they all heard a painful snap which made Hinata and Sasuke wince at the sound. "…alright Hinata?"

"Y-Yes I'm fine b-b-but are the two o-of you a-alright?" Hinata asked worriedly as she reached out a hand towards Naruto as if trying to say that she wanted to help him but couldn't work up the nerve to do so.

Sasuke just glared at her while he continued to rub his back, getting used the stinging pain. "We would have been if you hadn't acted like an idiot, Hyuuga!" Sasuke grumbled before he tried to regain his arrogant composure. Hinata shrank at his volume and blushed guiltily as she started to play with her fingers. "Honestly, were you trying to get yourself killed? You were lucky that we made it this time or else you would have made a bloody stain on our training field."

Naruto glared at Sasuke for putting down Hinata, but ignored the boy's insulting tone as he tried to reassure his friend. "Don't listen to what that bastard says Hinata," the blonde said the word bastard particularly loud so that he made sure Sasuke would hear him. Sasuke just grunted and looked in a different direction. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Hinata looked up at Naruto in shock before her eyes started to water and she began wailing. Naruto just looked scared that he had done something wrong while Sasuke was looking at the heiress in slight confusion. Hinata suddenly jumped at the two and wrapped them both up into a hug. The two boys were both confused that is until Hinata started to speak again.

"I-I'm sorry that I caused you two p-pain! I'm sorry if I h-hurt you! I'll try t-to not be a burden an-anymore and the next time w-we play, I'll chose a b-better and safer sp-spot! I promise!" Hinata bawled and hugged the two boys tighter. Naruto just smiled and blushed a little as he scratched one of his whiskered cheeks with a finger while Sasuke blushed a little as well but he was trying to push Hinata off of him; uncomfortable with the fact that he has never been hugged by a crying girl before and that girl was being sincere with her feeling of telling him that she'll do better.

…

It was late in the afternoon and the Hyuuga entourage was leaving the Uchiha family. Mikoto and Hitomi hugged for one finally time before the broke apart.

"Do you really have to be leaving Hito-chan?" Mikoto asked, slightly sadden by the fact that she wouldn't be able to see her friend for a while. "Can't you just stay over for the night?"

Hitomi shook her head which sadden the Uchiha matriarch even further. Hitomi smiled sadly as she held on to her best friend's hands. "Miko-chan, you know how Hiashi gets when I'm out to long and he doesn't know of my whereabouts. He gets even more worried when Hinata's with me and he doesn't know where she is either. We must leave."

Mikoto sighed but she nodded nonetheless. "I understand. Well, it was nice meeting you, Little Hinata, and Little Naruto. We hope we can all have dinner together again."

Hinata bowed politely and Naruto copied her movement, thinking that it was the correct thing to do. "Th-Thank you for having us, L-Lady Mikoto."

"Yeah, thanks." Naruto said with a grin.

Hitomi smiled at them and patted both of their heads. "Alright little ones, let's put our hoods up and return home."

"Hai." They both said and the put on their given masks and concealed them with their robe's hoods. They waved a final goodbye before walking out of the mansion and into the Uchiha Clan's pathways, until they made it to the entrance and made their way back home.

* * *

_Next time on Changes for the Better: Meeting Kakashi Hatake_

* * *

**OH MY GOD I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW LONG THIS FREAKIN CHAPTER TOOK! IT'S GOT LIKE WHOLE BUNCHES OF WORDS! Geesh, sorry dudes if I haven't been updating lately, this chapter is really long and it took a lot out of me. Man this whole chapter is like 60 pages long dudes! 60 FREAKIN PAGES! Anyway, it's that time again and I need your help!**

**School is starting soon and I won't be able to do my work as fast as I usually do (which isn't that fast it's going to be even slower, sorry dudes, but I'm not dead so please don't worry) but I'll still try to do it as fast as I can!**

**OK OK! Back to the helping thing! I need your help with the next chapter! Okay okay so in the next chapter Naruto's gonna turn seven because his birthday is in the chapter also, he's gonna meet Kakashi for the first time and they form a tight bond, yadda yadda, and I need your help with something!**

**Do you A) Want Kakashi to give Naruto a mask of his own on his birthday and Naruto wears it throughout the story to gain more mystery and popularity?**

**Or do you B) Want Naruto to remain the same as he is without the mask?**

**Anywayyyyyy….. Thank you dudes and dudettes for reading and please continue to! Anyway, see you dudes and dudettes in the next chapter! If you have sneezed through this whole thing then GOD BLESS THINE FACE! Haha! Okay, see you dudes in the next story! Peace out!**


	4. ANNOUNCEMENT! NOT A CHAPTER!

**Hallo everybody! It's me, The Open-Eyed Day Dreamer! I want to insure that this is in fact NOT A CHAPTER! I'm updating you guys to tell you that the votes are in!**

**And the question that I'm going along with is... (dramtic drumming noise) QUESTION NUMBER B! I'm srry you dudes who wanted A, but you know, MAJORITY RULES, and I just so happen to follow those rules! ^_^' Anyway, school is driving me crazy and it's gonna be a lot slower to write my stories now (GOMEN! GOMEN!). So please understand... Alright you dudes, if you have sneezed through this whole thing then GOD BLESS YOUR FACE! **

**HAHA! Until next time my readers, I bid you, a due.**


	5. Meeting Kakashi Hatake

**Meeting Kakashi Hatake**

…

_Thinking/ Indention/ Flashbacks/ Fantasies/Dreams_

**Kyuubi talking to Naruto in mindscape/ Naming a jutsu/ Bold indention**

_**Kyuubi talking telepathically to Naruto/ Calling out a jutsu/ Bold indention**_

…

It was Late September-Early October in the Land of Fire. It was morning, and there were a few of Konoha's citizens walking here and there. The sturdy trees that was practically littered everywhere in the Village Hidden in the Leaves; their leaves had adopted into a golden brown, evening red, or orange color. It was simply magnificent and the cold weather neither tempered nor dampened the citizens' spirit or merriment of Konoha one bit. One particular blonde boy, who we all know and love, was making his way towards the Hyuuga Estate where he would begin his daily dosage of training; which mainly consisted of taijutsu.

Naruto Uzumaki was wearing a semi-heavy orange puffy coat with a dark orange scarf that was wrapped around his neck that hid his mouth. Had had on orange mittens and was wearing his usual orange trousers. Underneath his coat, he was wearing his normal black T-shirt that had an orange swirl in the middle, but the addition was that he was also wearing a fishnet, chain-mailed shirt that mostly shinobi wore.

He had Hitomi Hyuuga to thank for that.

The matriarch of the Hyuuga Clan had been especially nice to buy him extra set of clothes that would last him years! He admitted, he was low on funds and sometimes wore the same outfit most of his life, so he's never really put an effort to buy new clothes… not that the tailors would help him out anyway…

Naruto shook his head as his face held a determined expression on his face. "It's alright; they just haven't noticed my general awesomeness yet! Believe it!" Naruto has recently learned to ignore the stares of hate the villagers usually sent him. It was thanks to the training Hiashi and Hizashi put him through that he managed to build up tolerance… even if it was smaller than the average person...

But not only that, Hitomi and Hinata were teaching him a practice called "meditation" that was used to calm the mind and the body. He was confused at first when Hitomi used big words that he couldn't comprehend like "equilibrium" or "correlation", but Hinata managed to dumb it down for him and he instantly got it. Naruto was very impatient when they first started, but he got some pointers from Hinata on how to be able to cope with it. She told him to image the most quiet and nice place he could think of, and focus on it. Once he got the hang of it, the whiskered boy took a liking to meditation. But he considered Hinata better at it than him, because when he was bored the first few times and tried to talk to Hinata and shake her out of her meditation, it took him a few minutes before he got a reaction out of the pale-eyed girl.

But that didn't amount to the happiness he was feeling. The reason why he was soo happy-go-lucky because Hitomi, Hiashi, and Hizashi would occasionally give him hints about his family that he never knew. When the explained to him about his mother, they told him everything about her that was necessary. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki and she was a member of the illustrious Uzumaki Clan… more like she was their heir before she died. Naruto was shocked beyond belief that he was a part of a powerful clan from what they told him. He was even more shocked that he was a part of the royal family that was the _leaders of the Uzumaki Clan_.

As Naruto reminisced about that memory, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he remembered how much he cried that day.

They told more about her like how much she loved ramen as much as he did, how her anger was like a short fuse like his, and gave her the name "The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero"; it seemed hers was even shorter than his by the way Hitomi giggled about how much the blonde's mother had beaten up people over the littlest of things. But the only thing that really hit home was how his mother shared the same dream as he did. It fanned the fires of his determination to become Hokage even higher for not only his sake, but for his late mother's sake as well.

When he asked him how she died, Hitomi, Hiashi, and Hizashi all went quiet. Naruto watched as how they all turned to each other and whispered a bit before they focused their attention back on him. They told him that his mother had died in the line of duty when the village was under attack. They didn't say _what_ attacked the Leaf, but Naruto thought that it was too painful for them to talk about.

To their relief, the blonde lad asked about his father. They told him little things about his father, saying how much the Uzumaki boy resembled him and how his determination to become Hokage was just like his mother's and his father's. But when Naruto asked for his father's name, that's when an awkward silenced filled the air of the room they were in at the time. It stopped as soon as Hitomi said that they'll ask the Third Hokage for permission to tell the whiskered boy his father's name. Hizashi told him that his father was such a great ninja, that his name was authorized as an S-Class secret. Only the best of the best knew it, including them.

Naruto grinned as he jumped in the air excitedly. "Yahoo! I can't believe that my dad is soo cool, that his name his kept as a huge secret! This is soo cool!" Naruto remembered that after the revelation of his parents, he immediately told Hinata everything. She was very glad for him as well as excited as him. Then she told him that it would be best if Neji knew about it, so the two children told him.

Naruto laughed as he remembered the look on Neji's face when the blonde explained how cool his parents were. "Ha ha! Aww, man, I wish I could've taken a picture of that! That was priceless! Neji was soo—" He was cut off when he bumped into a solid figure and he fell flat on his butt onto the cool earth.

"Ouch!" Naruto screamed as he started to rub his stinging ass as he slowly got up off of the ground. "Hey you bastard! Watch where you're—?" Naruto looked up as he stared at the person in front of him. He looked to be a teenager by his young appearance and he was slightly annoyed when he turned around to look at the blonde. He was fair-skinned, fit and relatively tall for his age. He had spiky white hair that seemed to defy gravity, and dark-coloured eyes from what he could see from his right eye. His left eye was covered by a Hitai-ate [1] and he wore a mask that covered the half of his face. He wore a black T-shirt with white stripes in the middle of the sleeves. On his arms he wears black sleeves with metal arm protectors over them. He also has leather straps around his back and chest, and a medium-sized tantō sword [2] that was strapped to his back. He also wore dark blue pants accustomed with black shinobi sandals.

The teen was surprised to see Naruto staring straight at him, but he concealed his surprise as he took up a slightly bored front. "Hey kid, you alright?" The teen asked with a bored tone as he raised a brow.

Naruto closed his eyes and stuck out the bottom of his lip as he tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms. "Why the hell are you wearing a mask?" Naruto asked, ignoring the teen's previous question.

The teen nearly face-faulted as his sweatdropped. It seems that the boy's clueless and brash attitudes were correct when he read his files. _That and he acts just like Miss Kushina but looks just like sensei… It must've been years since I've last seen the kid…_ The white-haired lad thought as his eye crinkled in amusement.

The white haired teen's eye smiled and he then pointed to his mask. "It makes me look cooler, see?"

Naruto blinked before he tilted his head to the side a little as he stared at the cyclopean's mask. "Yeah… I guess it does like cool!" He grinned at him. Naruto suddenly blinked and his crystal blue eyes stared at the book in the teen's hand. It was an orange book.

"Hey, what's that book in your hand Mister?" He asked pointing to it.

The masked teen blushed in embarrassment, but his mask discretely prevented it from showing. He coughed to clear his throat as he quickly tucked the book in his pocket. "It's a book that's for teenagers and adults." He said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Something little kids like you shouldn't be reading."

Naruto was confused by the orange book and was even more so by the teen's words. He just shrugged it off and put his hands behind his head. Books never really interested him anyway. "Whatever. Hey what's your name Mister?"

The teen blinked in surprise before he pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Of course you! Who the hell else am I talking to?!" Naruto shouted at him, rather annoyed that this teen was as stupid as he looked (A/N: Irony…). Where all teenagers like this guy?

The teen ignored the small blonde's outburst… for now… The white-haired young man just straightened up his back and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked at Naruto with a bored expression. "Well, my name's Kakashi Hatake." The newly dubbed Kakashi stated before he tilted his head a fraction of an inch. "What's your name squirt?"

Naruto was slightly miffed that Kakashi called him a squirt, but he let it slide and focused on his grand introduction. The whiskered boy grinned as he puffed his chest up proudly and pointed a thumb to himself. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be Hokage someday! Believe it!"

Kakashi was smiling inwardly despite having a bored and uncaring front. He was very proud that Naruto still had the Will of Fire still burning inside of him. The young man was saddened to know that the blonde lad was kept in an orphanage with its caretakers not caring for him as they did the other children. His sadness only grew into anger once he found out that Naruto was kicked out at the age of 5 years old, and was left to fend for himself on the streets.

_Never again…_ The teen thought as his eye slightly narrowed with bitterness. _I will never again let that happen to him… I'll adopt him if I have to, but I will never again let him suffer that kind of treatment anymore… I am sorry Third Hokage, but I am tired of watching his childhood deteriorate away from him at such a young age…_

"Hey… Hey…! OI! WAKE UP!" A voice screamed at him. Kakashi blinked a few times before he stared down at Naruto again. He hadn't realized that his eyes had left him to look at the morning sky.

Naruto lifted a brow that the white-haired ninja. "I thought that you had just fallen asleep on me Mister Kakashi. Geez, you're pretty lazy for a ninja."

Now it was Kakashi's turn to raise his brow at Naruto. "How did you know I was a ninja?"

"You're wearing your thingy on your head right? Ya know, to show that you're a ninja of the Leaf?" Naruto said as he pointed to his own forehead.

"Oh. Right." Kakashi said as he fidgeted with his Hitai-ate for a bit. "Say Naruto, where are you going?"

Naruto owlishly blinked before he pricked up with realization. "Oh yeah! I'm heading over to the Hyuuga Compound! You wanna come Mister Kakashi?"

"It's just Kakashi," he explained as he waved a hand in dismissal. He then refocused to Naruto's earlier statement, "but why is an outsider like you going over to a prestigious and uppity clan like the Hyuuga?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi as if he was stupid. "Why to train of course! Why the hell wouldn't I go there? That and I've gotta go see Hinata and train with her too." He said as he started to tick off every possibility as he continued to ramble on with Kakashi just tuning him out for a few moments.

_Hinata…?_ Kakashi mused as he smiled under his mask. _That sounds like a girl's name…_ The shinobi looked at Naruto once more just as the young lad finished ticking of everything that he was planning to do at the Hyuuga Compound.

"So yeah, that's pretty much it." Naruto said as he folded his arms and teetered his weight from side-to-side as if thinking of something very important.

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled Naruto's spiky blonde head; temporarily shocking the young boy. "You're interesting for a snot-nosed little brat…" Kakashi said, earning him a glare from said brat. "But yeah, I'll tag along with you. This might be fun and I've got nothing better else to do."

…

The whole walk towards the Hyuuga Clan's compound, the two males were chatting away about how their daily lives were, and what really bored them. While Naruto listened to Kakashi's story, the blonde realized that they weren't that different. They both hated listen to lectures— well for Kakashi, it was shinobi meetings about the Village, its economy, stocks, traders, alliances, etc… They both thought girls were weird and very scary when they wanted to be; both experienced this first hand after all.

"And then _**WHAM!**_" Naruto shouted as he waved his arms around exaggeratedly to emphasize his story. "Sakura clocked me clean in the face for just saying that she looked a little fat! _A little_!"

Kakashi gave out a raucous laugh, something he had done in years. He didn't know why, but Naruto, this boy, made him feel happier than he ever felt all those years ago. Maybe it was because he was their son…?

"Well, Naruto, it's the common rule of the men to never, ever, **ever** call a woman fat." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Unless you'll face way worse punishments than what this Sakura girl did to you."

Naruto gulped. "H-How worse?"

Kakashi shivered as he thought about it, Naruto caught his shiver and it made him gulp again. "Like opening the gates of hell and letting loose thousands of demons worse." The ANBU captain said in a soft and slightly terrified voice.

Naruto paled and had to hold onto his arms to keep some form of comfort to his person. "G-Gee, th-that's pretty scary…" He suddenly stopped shaking once he felt a shadow loom over him. He looked up and saw the Hyuuga Compound glooming over them with its ever powerful presence. "Oh! We're here!" Naruto shouted while smiling as he pointed at the compound.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head slowly. _How long has it been since I've last seen this depressing place…? _He thought with a raised brow. He was about to tell Naruto to quiet down a little but the boy just zipped past him and ran straight towards the guards.

"O-Oi! Naruto!" Kakashi called out to him, but the blonde boy ignored the calls. "Geez, That kid is really hyperactive." He sighed once more and then ran after the boy.

Naruto waved happily at the two guards as he shouted out to them. "Ko! Tokuma! Hey guys what's up?" Before either of the Hyuuga could respond, a hand suddenly grabbed Naruto by the collar and yanked him back.

It was Kakashi and he had a slightly annoyed look that was plastered on his face. "Naruto, you just don't go up to a Hyuuga and address them like that. Treat them with respect, not vulgarity."

"But—!" Naruto protested.

"No buts." Kakashi reprimanded with a stern voice. He then turned to the Hyuuga and gave a slight bow as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry if he has caused you any trouble. I've only met him but I can tell he's quite the troublemaker."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted at the ANBU Captain angrily as a vein protruded on his forehead.

It was the one called Ko, who walked forward. He had brown hair, which was short, with backwards spikes. He had featureless white eyes like majority of his relatives and his nose was broad and well-defined. He wore the standard Konoha uniform inclusive of a flak jacket and forehead protector that he wore like a bandanna. Sometimes, when Hitomi or Hiashi or Hizashi wasn't training Hinata, Ko would take on the role of being her instructor.

"It's quite alright sir, after all, we know how Master Naruto gets when he is excited. No stone is left unturned without a little bit of mayhem when he strides through." Ko said chuckling a little.

"Ko!" Naruto protested.

"Good thing we have Lady Hinata to calm him down, or else we wouldn't be able to stop him no matter how many forces we congregate!" The one called Tokuma said as he barked a hearty bought of laughter. He had shoulder-length, spiky brown hair with two long bangs framing either side of his face and the featureless white eyes all of his relatives (with the exception of Hinata and Hitomi) possessed. He was also wearing his Hitai-ate in a bandana style, and wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform completed with a green flak jacket.

"Tokuma!" The whiskered child shouted as his cheeks heated up when they mentioned Hinata and her effectiveness on him. He didn't know why he got so embarrassed when people said that "Lady Hinata was a blessing for stopping him and his pranks", or, "It's a good thing Lady Hinata has him on a tight leash", it was a smidge insulting, but overall it was embarrassing.

Kakashi was stunned at what he was hearing, but mostly what he was _seeing_. He heard two Hyuuga, the supposed stuck up, arrogant, willful, and demanding he that he always knew, not only associating with an outsider, but _joking_ with him as well. He watched as the two Hyuuga chatted animatedly with the Jinchuriki with actual _smiles_ on their faces. But Kakashi couldn't wrap his head around two things. One, the two Hyuuga's actually laughed, which the ANBU Captain thought that wasn't remotely possible; Two, the two Hyuuga actually called a hyperactive troublemaker that was the top threat of Konoha and number one of the ANBU target list, _Master_.

… What the hell was going on here?!

"Wait wait wait wait," Kakashi said suddenly as he started to wave his hands as he broke up the strange trio's merriment, "you just called _**him**_," The white-haired teen said as he poked Naruto, much to the youth's displeasure, "_**Master**_."

"But of course," Ko remarked with a slight sheepish grin, "Master Naruto is training under the Head of the Hyuuga Clan, Hiashi Hyuuga, and his brother who is the Head of the Branch House, Hizashi Hyuuga. Master Naruto clearly outranks us among our clan, so for that, we must treat him with respect."

Naruto wiped under his nose as a small blush was pasted on his tanned, whiskered cheeks. "Aw c'mon guys! You don't have to say it like that! We're all the same anyway! And when you guys call me Master, it makes me sound like an old geezer!"

"Okay then, would you prefer it if we called you _Naruto-sama_ instead?" Tokuma asked as he held up a suggestive finger.

"No way!" Naruto shouted, a little annoyed by the fact that he didn't want to be called anything with a higher rank. It just felt… too weird when people addressed him like that. Like he was naked in the middle of a forest with honey slathered on him from head to toe. That's how uncomfortable he felt.

Ko chuckled at the blonde's antics before he walked up to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "But Master Naruto, if you are to become a grand Hokage someday, you must get used to the idea of people calling you by a higher rank… just don't let it go to your head, okay?" Ko said as he poked Naruto square in the forehead.

"Yeah yeah I get it." The boy grumbled as he rubbed his forehead soothingly. He folded his arms before he began to teeter his weight from side to side in thought. He perked up and suddenly snapped his fingers. "I got it! How about you guys can use both of the names instead of using one! The more the merrier right?"

Ko and Tokuma blinked before exchanging slight astonished looks. The two Hyuuga then smiled before turning their attention back to their young master. "Sounds good to us." They both said simultaneously.

Naruto grinned happily as he put his hands behind his head. "Awesome! Well, you guys mind opening the gate for us? I gotta get to Hiashi-sensei as soon as possible before he chews me out again!" He shivered and gulped as he thought about what the clanhead could do to him.

The two Hyuuga chuckled nervously before they nodded and opened the door for to the child and the teen. Kakashi was gobsmacked beyond belief that a boy like Naruto, with his current status as Jinchuriki, had access to the most powerful clan of Konohagakure. I mean, the guy was still shocked about the Hyuuga being so causal and calling Naruto, _Master_ for pete's sake! Naruto led Kakashi inside and the ANUBU Captain was brought out of his momentary shock as he took in the Hyuuga Clan and its scenery. Most of them were working, as expected from a prestigious clan such as the Hyuuga, but Kakashi spotted a few that were walking and talking with nothing to do with slight smiles on their faces. When the two males walked by, every Hyuuga they past would stop what they were doing and greet Naruto with either a bow of respect, or a friendly wave.

Though, with Kakashi and his upholding status, the Hyuuga would bow towards him respectively before returning to what they were doing. Kakashi stopped Naruto by placing a hand on his shoulder. "You sure are popular around here, aren't you squirt?"

"Well yeah, I mean I come here every day so a lot of people know me. What's wrong with that?" Naruto asked a little dumbly, tilting his head to the side in complete confusion.

Kakashi sighed in annoyance before he slapped the back of Naruto's head, making the boy cry out in pain. "The hell was that for Kakashi?!" Naruto screamed as he glared at the teen angrily.

Kakashi ignored Naruto's question and proceeded forward. "I see you're as oblivious as they stated in your files."

Naruto blinked in wonderment. Files? They had files on him? "H-Hey! Wait up! Kakashi!" Naruto called out to the teen before he began to run after him.

* * *

As Naruto and Kakashi were making their way towards the Hyuuga Mansion, Hinata was busy sparring against her cousin Neji with determined vigor. She and Neji were wearing their usual training gear: black moveable pants, with a black mesh-shirt and fishnet shirt over it. They were training in the family dojo with her father Hiashi, her mother Hitomi, and her uncle and Neji's father Hizashi, spectating them with piercing eyes.

Neji sent out three fast palm strikes, but Hinata dodged them with ease. Their **Byakugan** was pulsating and their enhanced, pale eyes narrowed with focused minds. Hinata jumped back when Neji sent a **Palm Heel Strike **at her, but as soon as she landed, the heiress immediately went on the offensive.

Hinata volleyed a fast strike at Neji's stomache before a strike followed up the previous one at his throat. Neji dodged the first with a slight twist of his body, and he bent back at Hinata's palm that was aiming for his throat. Unbeknownst to him, Hinata was planning him to do that. Making haste, she quickly swept his legs out from under her cousin making him fall back.

Neji's eyes widened at his momentary loss of balance, and then his shock was suddenly riddled with pain when he felt an exploding pain in his abdomen. Hinata had struck him, gaining her the upper hand. Not wanted to be outdone, Neji rolled away before Hinata's hand struck him in the shoulder, and he quickly regained his footing before he charged at the shy girl and sent three strikes along her spine.

Hinata cried out in pain before she fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Hiashi eyes flashed with worry for a moment before they steeled once again. He gazed at her body, seeing her struggling to get up, but she kept slumping back onto the floor with a mangled groan.

Hiashi sighed before he stood up and called the match. "Winner, Neji." He saw his nephew panting at a slight irregular pant as he clutched his abdomen in pain.

"It seems Hinata is catching up to Neji at a rather fast pace." Hitomi suddenly said, smiling when Neji restarted Hinata's closed charka points along her spine before helping her up. "Soon, they will be able to surpass us in all arts of being shinobi, and we shall just grow old and bitter when they do!" She then started laugh, which made the brothers chuckle in amusement.

"You're still as lively as ever Hitomi," Hizashi smiled at his sister-in-law as he did so. He then looked at his brother and gave him a small, mischievous smirk. "Makes you think why a strict person such as himself, chose you to wed him." Hiashi jumped slightly and sweat started to prickle down his neck before he turned away from the two.

Hitomi was perplexed and went to ask Hizashi what he meant, but once she saw him putting a finger to his lips before gesturing to her husband. She narrowed her eyes to see the clanhead's stature slightly uncomfortable from his brother's previous announcement. Hitomi put a hand to her mouth when she went to look at the other twin, while Hizashi just smiled again and gave her a playful wink.

Getting the message, Hitomi giggled and looked up at her husband with a soft smile. "Yes it does. Hiashi dear, why did you marry me? I thought the Elders were quite adamant that they wanted a more… stern female to be your wife."

More bullets of sweat began to roll down Hiashi's neck and forehead. He sighed in relief once he saw his daughter start to yank on his kimono, trying to grasp his attention. "Yes Hinata?"

"P-Papa, when is N-Naruto going to arrive?" Hinata asked with slight worriment as she looked around for her friend, thinking that he might be hiding somewhere.

Hiashi frowned. That was another problem he had to deal with. Naruto was horribly late for it was past his due time to be assigned here at 6 O'clock in the morning at the earliest. It was 7:15 and Hiashi was not amused by his antics. When that boy came in, the Hyuuga head swore he'd—

"Hiashi-sensei! Hizashi-sensei! Miss Hitomi! Naruto Uzumaki has arrived!" A familiar loud and obnoxious voice bellowed, making Hiashi sigh in annoyance and Hinata perk up with glee.

Hiashi turned to see the boy accompanied by an older male which greatly surprised the clanhead. _So this must be the alleged Kakashi Hatake hmm…?_ Hiashi scanned him with his piercing eyes as his impassive Hyuuga mask took over his facial expressions. _He is young as they say in the reports, a prodigy, so to speak…_

"F-Father, th-that man's f-face is almost c-covered up! Wh-Why is that?" Hinata asked a little curious, as she once again began to yank on her father's obi. Hinata will only say Father when others that she did not know very well, like guests for instance, would come over to the Hyuuga Mansion for a visit. She felt comfortable to say the term "Papa" to her father when those that she knew were around, or if it was just her and Hiashi together.

"Hinata that is not a very appropriate thing to say in a situation such as this." Hiashi scolded lightly, making the young girl looked down at the floor guiltily as she poked her two index fingers shyly. He gently guided her over to her mother with his hands pressed softly against the little girl's small back. "To go take a seat by your mother until I am finished."

"H-Hai." Hinata quickly scampered over to Hitomi, who welcomed her with open arms as Hinata sat in her mother's lap with the beautiful woman enveloping her eldest in a gentle, warm, and motherly hug.

Hinata watched with timorous eyes as her father approached the man and her best friend. "I see you have brought my late student, Naruto, have you not Kakashi Hatake?"

Naruto gulped loudly when Hiashi fixed his cold, piercing pale eyes at him when he said the word "late". He didn't mean to be late, Kakashi had just turned up and they started talking and it was his fault. It was Kakashi's entire fault for making him late!

Kakashi saw Hiashi staring down Naruto as the boy looked away with a fearful gaze in his eyes. He hid his smirk (thanks to his mask) as he watched the seen unfold before him.

_Sensei, I wonder if you would laugh if you saw this …?_ Kakashi thought absentmindedly before he returned his attention to the Hyuuga head. "I'm sorry Lord Hiashi; it was my entire fault for making Naruto late for training. You see, he was just helping me with an errand I had to run."

Hiashi raised a brow at the white-haired teen before returning his composure. His crossed his arms and then gave a cough to clear his throat. "I see. I guess I owe you an apology Naruto. Just don't be late again. If you do…" He then glared at Naruto with a gaze so hard that a dark cloud of darkness surrounded the all-powerful man. "_**I will make you scream in ways that even Kami won't recognize… Am I understood…?**_"

"Y-Yes sir!" Naruto screamed in fear as he stood in position and gave the powerful man a salute.

Hiashi returned to his stoic self in a flash, making Kakashi sweat-drop as he smiled nervously under his mask. _Umm… How do I react to this…?_ The cyclopean thought confusedly.

"Thank you very much for bring Uzumaki here. Is that all or are there more news you wish to relay to me?" Hiashi asked in a monotone voice. Kakashi winced slightly when he detected a small hint of annoyance in the Lord's voice. Clearly, the man wasn't in the mood for funny business.

Before the white-haired teen could answer, Naruto cut in with a look of excitement plastered onto his whiskered face. "Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Can Kakashi stay and watch me, Hinata, and Neji train? Please, please Hiashi-sensei?!" Naruto begged the man giving him puppy dog eyes.

Hiashi wasn't the least bit swayed by Naruto's unusually amplified cerulean eyes. Only Hinata, and sometimes his wife, could make him become hesitant once they too gave him "the-sad-puppy-on-the-street-look". Hiashi raised a brow before he turned to his wife and brother. They smiled and nodded with Hinata and Neji nodding as well. The man sighed in defeat. He was getting soft.

"Alright, if Mister Hatake wishes to accompany us in combat training, so be it." Hiashi replied as he stuffed his hands into his obi's sleeves. "But I shall make it clear that there will be no inappropriate interactions as long as I am in my household, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal!" Naruto beamed as he gave the pale-eyed man a salute, oblivious to the foreboding darkness that was in the clanhead's tone.

Kakashi felt his sweat-drop as he gave a nervous nod. "U-Umm… yeah… yes sir…" The teen hung his head gloomily as anime tears flowed from his one eye. What the hell did he just get himself into?!

* * *

(Approximately 8 days later…)

Hinata Hyuuga was busy squeezing through the bustling crowd that was the Konoha supermarket. A happy smile was stretched upon her lips and glistening sweat sprinkled off of her as she urged her short legs to keep running. It was October 10th, that meant it was Naruto's Birthday, and Hinata went out to buy him a present to show appreciation of how much he meant to her.

She blushed heavily at the thought. She still couldn't get over of how easily Naruto made her feel. It made her small heart flutter whenever he was near and skip a beat when he gave a smile that was meant for only her. The heiress swooned as she thought of her crush; she really wanted to see him as soon as possible.

Even thought it was a joyous day for her and majority of the Hyuuga Clan (they all really like Naruto), the village seemed to be filled with an unusually amount of negative emotions today. When shy girl asked her cousin about it, he told her that this day was a terrible day for the village, it was the day the Nine-Tailed Fox, or, Kyuubi no Yoko attacked the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hinata gulped audibly once she thought about the demon fox. Three days ago, her mother and father had explained to her about the demon fox, and how Naruto was related to it in some way. They told her that the fox was a vile and powerful creature, which nearly wiped out the entirety of the Leaf. Only the Fourth Hokage defeated it and it was never seen again. They told her why the villagers hated Naruto, and frankly, Hinata was very appalled by the villagers' behavior.

The nerve of them! It was Naruto's fault that he was born on the same day the Kyuubi attacked! He had nothing to do with it whatsoever, he was just accidently birthed the same day and the villagers were lashing out on him because of it.

Hinata suddenly came to an abrupt stop and puffed out her cheeks to pout. _The villagers here are all meanies! Naruto was just born on that day by accident! He had no control over it!_ She thought brazenly.

"Lady Hinata! Lady Hinata!" A voice called out to her, she turned around to see Neji running up to her before he stopped to regain his breath. He was wearing a puffy blue jacket with blue mittens, a white scarf, and black training pants with his blue sandals. Hinata was wearing the same thing but she had a purpled color theme and she was wearing a purple beanie hat as well. "Lady Hinata, did you not hear me? I was calling for you but you didn't slow down." Neji said with a slightly winded voice.

"S-Sorry Big Brother Neji, b-but I really wanted to hurry home and g-give this to Na-Naruto." Hinata explained as she hefted up a large present box. It was beautifully wrapped elegantly wrappings with orange ribbons that would cross of the box here and there.

Neji nodded in understanding and slight agitation. He was perfectly fine with Hinata spending time with Naruto, but you wouldn't simply allow too much tie to be spent with the two. He, as well as Hiashi, were very overprotective of the shy girl. "Yes, yes, Lady Hinata. But you must know that Naruto will be staying over at the Hyuuga Clan until the village calms down a bit."

Hinata's eyes down-casted. Since the villagers' negative behavior was escalating at an alarming rate towards the blonde boy, the Hyuuga thought it was best if he stayed over until the villagers settled down their temperament. The Hyuuga Clan was a very well protective place, like a maximum security place of sorts. People came out leisurely, but no one went in by force.

The bluenette's tiny hands grasped the box hard before they had begun to shake. Neji watched with sorrowful eyes at his cousin's sadness and anger. He did not blame her nor think she was acting irrational. The day they told Naruto that he would be staying, the young boy's eyes were filled with soo much relief and hope. The Uzumaki looked worn down and tired, sure signs that he had experienced traumatizing events like this many times before in his young life. It filled the older boy with soo much anger, soo much hatred, he wanted to vomit.

_No one has to experience that much pain… It is insensible and inhumane…_ Neji thought bitterly as he laid a comforting hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Come now Lady Hinata, we must hurry back. Dusk is breaking and we must retreat to safety." Neji said, trying and failing to make Hinata feel better.

She nodded but didn't move. It was as if she was waiting for something, something that would make that weight of sorrow and fear lift off of her small shoulders. Neji sighed and put a hand on her back. "Surely Naruto would like to see you again? I can honestly say that he will be very worried if we do not show up soon… Wouldn't you?"

That made Hinata perk up instantly as a small, but weary smile crossed her thin lips. She nodded once more and took Neji's hand for a stead and reassurance. Neji smiled and firmly grasped the girl's small hand and led her back to the Hyuuga Compound as quickly as he could.

…

Hinata was being gently, but firmly dragged by her cousin. They were running quickly, but because of her small build and her previous running before, Hinata was beginning to tire out easily. "B-Big Brother N-Neji," she wheezed, "c-can you please s-slow down?"

"I can't Lady Hinata," Neji responded without looking back at her, "we must hurry before—" He suddenly came to a stop which made Hinata bump into him hard. Hinata gave out a small squeak of surprise and held her smarting nose.

Hinata looked up at Neji to see his jaw tighten and his pale eyes slightly narrow. "B-Big Brother Neji? Wh-What's—" She followed his gaze and her voice faltered at what she saw before her. "—wrong…?" Right in front of the two children was a crowd of twenty men holding sharp objects as they yelled and ranted at the Hyuuga Compound's main gates. They could see ten Hyuuga guards derailing and detaining the angry villagers that were demanding entrance. The two cousins didn't even need to blink to know what was causing the villagers to behave like this.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Neji growled in frustration, making Hinata flinch. "Lady Hinata," Neji whispered to her in a soft voice, "whatever you do, don't speak. Do not make eye contact, do interact, overall, do not in engage the villagers. You must follow me and do exactly as I say, understood?"

Hinata nodded, her apprehension growing. Neji gave her a curt nod back and he squeezed her hand one last time for reassurance. Hinata held onto her present as if her life hanged by a thread as her cousin led her around the rioting crowd. Hinata saw movement in the corner of her eye and looked up to see ninja, probably ANBU, making their way over towards the commotion.

_Th-They must be the reinforcements…_ Hinata thought before Neji got her attention once again.

"Lady Hinata!" Neji hissed. "Keep your head down! Don't not grab any attention at any cost!"

"H-Hai…" Hinata mumbled softly before she looked at her shoes with interest. Neji sighed in relief. He didn't mean to snap at her, but with the situation that was unfurling in front of them, he could not afford to get her injured.

As they were getting close to the front of the crowd, Neji accidently pulled on Hinata's hand a little too sharply which caused her to stumble forward and bump into a solid figure. She squeaked in surprise and looked up, expecting to see her cousin, but it was a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties and he was waving around a broken bottle of sake haphazardly.

"Eh?" He drawled out before he turned around to stare at Hinata blankly. The heiress' nose scrunched up as a putrid smell hit her nasal passage. This man had been drinking, and by the smell of it, he was drinking heavily.

The man had a constant blush on his face from the alcohol as he bent down and looked at Hinata up and down. But his view was blocked when Neji stood in front of the shaking girl protectively and narrowed his eyes menacingly at the drunk. The man paid no heed and his face suddenly brightened with realization.

"I… I know you…" He hiccupped, waving a sluggish finger accusingly. "You're… you're that girl who friends with that demon…!" Before Neji could react, Hinata was suddenly yanked out of his grasp once the man took hold of her wrist and picked her up high in the air. Hinata yelped in surprise and dropped Naruto's present by accident. "Hey everyone!" The man yelled, grapping the attention of the rioting crowd of men. "This little wench is friends with… the demon brat!"

Hinata began to cry fearfully as she was raised from the ground into the air for all to see. The man's grip was ever tightening around her small, dainty wrist, creating an angry red mark on it. The men all gathered around her and started to murmur amongst themselves.

"She's friends with the demon brat?!"

"I thought she was the heiress of that uptight clan?"

"Someone like her isn't supposed to befriend a monster like that!"

"Let Lady Hinata go you drunkard!" Neji demanded as he yanked hard on Hinata's captor's clothes. It was against the law for shinobi, and shinobi-in-training, to lay a finger on civilians. Since they had lesser chakra than the ninja, it was unfair to engage in any kind of fighting with them. Thus, they could hit you, but you couldn't hit back. Pretty stupid right?

The bum raised a nonsensical brow at Neji before he kicked the boy hard. Neji gave a grunt in pain before he skidded across the hard dirt before his back was slammed against the hard concrete of a building. Neji coughed up a bit of blood, but he didn't pass out. Instead, the young branch member narrowed his pale eyes hatefully at the man as a small stream of blood rolled out from the corner of his lips.

"Big Brother Neji!" Hinata screamed, she was prevented from saying more when her captor shook her hard.

"Big Brother huh? First your friends with… the demon brat and now you're callin'… that boy your _Big Brother_? I thought the main house was far above the… branch house hmm? Explain that you brat!" The drunk sneered before he shook Hinata again, making the small girl dizzy.

_Wh… Why are they saying such crude things about Naruto and Neji…?_ Hinata thought as hot streams of silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Her lavender-tinted eyes were getting puffy and her nose was running a little too. _Wh-What should I do…? What _can_ I do…?_

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she remembered something that her mother once told her.

…

_FLASHBACK_

_Hinata was sitting in her mother's lap as she dipped her small feet into the Koi pond that was centered outback of the training ground inside the Hyuuga Mansion. Hinata was only 5 years old at the time, but she was very smart for her age._

_Hitomi was smiling lovingly as her eldest played; she wrapped her up in a hug and kissed the top of her dark blue hair._

"_Hey Mama?" Hinata suddenly spoke._

"_Yes my sweet?" Hitomi replied._

"_What are the fishies doing in the pond?" The small girl asked as she pointed at the Koi fish. There were five of them in total, but three were suddenly sticking the head out of the pond, before they dipped it back in and started to nibble at Hinata's toes. It surprised her at first, but it started to tickle as they did so._

_Hitomi smiled. "Why, they are just protecting their territory my flower."_

_Hinata tilted her head in confusion. "Protecting their territory?"_

"_Well… I guess I shouldn't put it in that way hmm?" Hitomi said as she looked up to the sky before she returned her attention back to the bluenette girl. "They are protecting their loved ones from danger Hinata."_

"_Protecting them from danger? But why? My feet aren't causing them trouble… are they?" Hinata asked as she wiggled her toes in the water making the Koi back off for a moment before they began to nibble on her toes again._

"_It may seem to you that you are not causing them harm," Hitomi began as she stroke her daughter's silky hair soothingly, "but to them, you are trespassing into their home which triggers them to protect their loved ones even if they must die for them. That is what it means to protect others with your very life."_

"_Wow…" Hinata breathed as she stared at the fish with admiration as they continued to nibble her toes. Hinata giggled before she retracted her feet from the pond and watched the spectacle below. The three Koi fish swam around were her feet once were, as if they were confused, before they swam back to the two other fish that were waiting for them._

_Hitomi giggled at her daughter's reaction. "Hinata." Said girl turned to look at her mother. "Who do you wish to protect?"_

_Hinata blinked before she looked at her mother's belly. Hitomi's bely had a huge bump and when Hinata laid her hand on it, she felt a small kick that made the shy girl smile. Hinata's cheeks were painted with a rosy color before she hugged her mother's belly and felt another kick against her cheek. "Those who are most precious to me." Hinata answered softly as she rubbed her head against the pregnant woman's belly._

_Hitomi smiled as her heart swelled with pride. "Very good answer, my flower. Very good answer indeed."_

_FLASHBACK END (KAI!)_

…

"Those who are most precious to me…" Hinata said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes became hooded by her bangs as the dunk man continued to shake her violently.

"What'd you say you little wench?!" The drunkard demanded as he cupped an ear. "I can't hear you, speak… up!"

"I-I said those who are m-most p-precious to me!" Hinata screamed, making the man wince as she raised an octave. "Naruto and B-Big Brother Neji have done nothing wrong t-to you people! Wh-Why do you torture them so?!"

"Because that demon deserves to be tortured!" One man screamed from the crowd.

"He has killed our loved ones and lives today to rub it in our faces!" Another one shouted. The men all cheered the two answers as they raised their weapons.

Hinata's eyes widened in slight shock. Naruto has killed people before…? She shook her head in denial. _No… Naruto would never hurt anyone… He's too pure to even consider hurting those who have hurt him…_ She thought determinedly.

"H-How can he k-kill anyone?! He's only 8 y-years old! An o-orphan boy trying to un-understand the world!" Hinata shouted as more tears sprang from her eyes. "H-How can he kill?! T-Tell me!"

A hush ran over the crowd as they looked at one another. Some expressing guilt while others expressing confusion. They had not thought about how Naruto was so young to even consider murder.

"Just because…!" Hinata screamed as she wiped away her onslaught of tears with her free hand. "J-Just because N-Naruto was born on the s-same day the N-Nine-Tails ravaged the village, d-doesn't make him the demon f-fox…" All of the men were shocked to hear that a little thing like her knew of the Kyuubi no Yoko at such a young age. "H-haven't you ever c-considered that Naruto's birth w-was an accidental coincidence that it happened th-the _same day_ the K-Kyuubi attacked? H-haven't any of y-you?"

Neji was watching with astonished eyes as Hinata derailed and jumble the thoughts of rioting men by simple words alone. He could see the men lowering their meager weapons, some even dropping them as their faces with riddled unimaginable guilt.

_Lady Hinata…_ Neji thought as he smiled at her warmly. _Truly, you are the strongest person I have ever met that holds the most pure heart of all people in the Land of Fire… The heart of kindness…_

Hinata watched as the men were all looking at one another with the same facial expressions. Guilt. They didn't whisper but they were all saying the same things with their eyes. _Maybe we misunderstood the little brat._

She blinked.

Had she really just read the eyes of these men? The **Byakugan** not only could see the chakra network of any shinobi, they could also detect lies and read the thoughts in people's eyes. But the thing was, only experienced Byakugan wielders, like her father, knew who to read the thoughts of people.

Before she could think more of it, a slicing pain was suddenly brought upon her left cheek which made her tumble hard against the cold earth below. Hinata winced as she placed her hand on her smarting red cheek and looked up to see the drunkard towering over her with menacing eyes.

"You bitch!" He spat as her grabbed her up by the collar and tighten his hold. From what she experienced today, she was that much scared anymore. There was a small twist that she felt in her gut, but she ignored it and stared at the man with slightly narrowed eyes.

_I will protect those who are most precious to me…_ Hinata kept telling herself as she stared into the eyes of an angered man that was her captor.

"What kinda crap are you spouting?! That demon brat killed my wife and you think I can just let it go?!" He screamed and Hinata could see pain that was in his eyes behind the drunken glaze.

Hinata looked down in sadness as the man relay his past and his pain. "I-I am sorry for your lost, really I am, b-but tell me… W-Would your wife ever approve o-of your actions you are displaying r-right now…?"

The drunkard's eyes widened in surprise as his mouth went slightly agape.

"H-Here you are, with your fellow brethren, r-rioting at a household that is t-trying to protect a scared, c-confused, and underdeveloped y-young boy from the clouding judgment that is th-this crowd. Would an-any of those you have lost approve of th-this?" The bluenette asked the group of men.

They, including the drunkard, all hung their heads in remorse, shame, and guilt. They were all ashamed of themselves of their actions but mostly a little girl that was telling them of what they were all doing wrong. That really wounded their prides.

Hinata suddenly found herself being lowered as the drunk let her down gently, his eyes looking weary and worn down. As did the rests as the remainder of men dropped their weapons at the heiress' feet. Hinata nodded at their decision and took a step forward as she puffed out her chest the best she could.

"I-In order for you men to r-regain the respect of your l-loved ones, you must to give respect t-to those who need it the most. N-Naruto does not know what r-respect is because no one h-has shown him how to give or t-take it. The V-Village Hidden in the Leaves is our h-home and i-it's time for you men to treat it like it. A-And our home is n-not the village itself, b-but the people that reside in it. G-Go home. Think. Recollect. Cleanse. And humble yourselves u-until you to learn what it means to respect others, a-and your home and wh-what you have." Hinata's pale eyes suddenly saddened as a remorseful smile spread across her thin lips. "B-Because… Naruto h-has nothing because it was t-taken from him… B-But he is still grateful for wh-what has been given him…"

After that, the crowd of men all turned to leave after Hinata's speech, leaving their weapons on the ground. Their movements were slow and sluggish, as if they were still trying to process what has been said, but they all walked away from the Hyuuga Compound nonetheless. Hinata's captor, the drunkard, was at the back of the crowd. But he turned his head to look at Hinata, who gave a friendly smile and a small wave at him, and gave her a nod before he scampered off to rejoin his male brethren.

Hinata gave a sigh of relief before she turned around and picked up Naruto's present before hurrying off towards her wounded cousin who was using the building's walls for support as he stood.

However, the young girl and boy were both unaware that they were being watched by moving shadows.

* * *

Three shadowy figures were watching as the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan contained the riots of the men and sent them on their ways back home. They tensed when they saw one lingering behind to look at the child, and the three silhouetted figures drew their kunai if the man went to attack the heiress. Instead, the heiress waved and gave a smile at the man, who temporarily shocked them and they were shocked even more when the man gave the child a nod and continued on his way.

One of the figures put away their kunai and gave out a long and heavy sigh. He was wearing a mask that resembled a dog's and by the looks of it, he was an ANBU. His two charges were one that wore a cat's mask, and another in a weasel's mask.

"Well that was… interesting…" The one in the cat mask remarked. Their voice sounded high and feminine.

"Well… I didn't expect Hinata to be capable of doing that. Looks like there are some kind Hyuuga in that chilly compound after all…" The one in the dog mask said a little boredly.

"Wait…" The one in the weasel mask said suddenly as he looked at Dog. "You know that little girl Dog?"

Dog just stared at them but they could clearly tell that his eye was smiling underneath it. "I guess you could say that. Now come on, I'm pretty sure they're going to need our help." And with that, Dog jumped down with a confused following him.

Cat lingered behind a she sighed exasperatedly. "Sometimes, I just wonder what goes around that head of his." She groused before she hopped away to rejoin her troop.

* * *

Hinata grunted as she heaved her cousin up while carrying Naruto's present. She gently slinged the wounded boy's arm over her neck and placed a reassuring but firm hand against his back to support him. Neji was wincing with every step he took. He was holding onto his ribs in pain as he tightened his hold with his hand that was clenching his cousin's jacket, and limped awkwardly alongside her. The Hyuuga guards that were there just a minute ago, seemed to disperse to either go warn the Hokage or Hiashi.

Neji tisked in annoyance at the absence of the guards. _The Hyuuga Compound needs to work on its defenses more so a thing like this will never happen again…_

"Big Brother Neji?" Hinata said to him, breaking the older boy out of his thoughts.

"Yes Lady Hinata?" Neji asked, smiling at his cousin gently. He was very happy that she wasn't shaking like a leaf from this traumatizing event. Given her gentle nature, he thought for sure that she would have broken a while ago. But he was glad that she wasn't too affected by it.

"A-Are you okay? Y-You're not hurt are you?" She questioned worriedly, frantically looking over his injuries.

The boy just shook his head. "This is nothing. This can be healed in no time. I just have a bruised rib, that's all."

Hinata wasn't fooled though. She wordlessly concentrated and veins started to slowly appear around her lavender-tinted eyes. _"__**Byakugan!**__"_ She whispered and her world changed. She examined Neji's skeletal system and saw that there were three ribs that were slightly bruised by the fourth one had a large crack in the midsection of it, and it seemed that it could break if anymore force was brought to it.

"Liar!" Hinata suddenly screamed, making Neji wince at her sudden high-pitched voice. "There are _three_ ribs that are bruised and one's about to break! We have to get you to the hospital and fast!"

Neji blinked before he started to chuckle. His chuckling then turned into a full out laughter making Hinata look at him embarrassedly as her face heated up. "Wh-What…? W-Was it something I-I said?" Hinata squeaked.

Neji's chuckles subsided before his lips stretched into a grin, something the bluenette has never seen before. "You are what's making me laugh Hinata."

"Wh-Wh-What?!" She eeped, blushing horribly as she looked down at the ground finding her sandals very interesting all of a sudden. "Wh-Why…?"

Neji chuckled before he looked into the sky. The sun had already sinked into the horizon and night was setting in. The moon was nestling comfortably in the spot where the sun once was, the stars complementing its mysterious beauty. "You hadn't stutter once in that sentence." He suddenly looked down at her and smiled gently. "You single handily dispersed a crowd of men that was out for blood using only words. You were overwhelmed by literally _twenty_ men but you vanquished them without raising a hand in retaliation. Truly you are strong." He paused before he smiled at the ground softly. She saw a flash of emotion go through his eyes, but as quickly as it came it disappeared.

That emotion… it seemed like it was… Regret…? Envy…? It seemed like it was one of the two but she couldn't quite place it.

"But," the boy said regaining his determined and strong outlook, "I will try and follow in your footsteps and one day surpass you, _Little Sister Hinata_." He said with his smile brightening as a twinge of pink was colored onto his pale cheeks.

Hinata gasped at the name before she smiled too but with a much larger blush staining her cheeks.

"Well well well, you don't see this every day." A voice said making the two Hyuuga snap their attention towards the sound. They looked up and saw three shadowy figures standing on a building with the moon casting their shadows farther and gave them an eerie look. They all simultaneous jumped and landed quietly in front of the two children.

"Lady Hinata, please stay behind me." Neji said as he gently pushed the shy girl back and limped in front of her as he silently activated his **Byakugan** without calling its name. "State your business or face the wrath of the mighty Hyuuga Clan."

"Keep your shorts on kid." One said. That one was slightly shorter than the rest and had a more feminine figure that her counterparts. "We have no beef with you. We just came here to help. I'm Cat, that's Tenzō," she said pointing to the man in the weasel mask on her left, "and this is Dog. Our _Captain_ and we are a part of the ANBU." She said pointing to the man in the Dog mask on her right. She seemed to ground out "Captain" when she was gesturing to Dog.

"Nice to meet you." Tenzō said formally as he gave them a nod and a slight bow to Hinata.

"Yo." Dog said as he held up a hand, as if he was familiar with them.

Hinata squinted her eyes at Dog as she examined him. _His voice and speech patterns sounds very familiar… I wonder…_ "M-Mister Kakashi H-Hatake, i-is that you?"

The other two ANBU members were slight taken aback that the girl had revealed their Captain's identity without trying to rip off his mask. They were even more surprised when Dog, or Kakashi, took off his mask and revealed his face… or what was of it…

"Bingo. It's nice to see you again Hinata, Neji." Kakashi said friendly, as his eye smiled. "Hey how did you know it was me Hinata?"

Hinata blushed slightly as she looked at the ground in embarrassment and she began to twiddle her thumbs in a shy manner. "W-Well, I just recognized your v-voice and speech p-patterns and I knew it was y-you. I-Is that bad?"

Kakashi waved his hands dismissively. "No, no. Actually, that's the opposite of bad. It's actually quite good, smart even. You're very clever for your age Hinata."

Hinata's blush increased until it spread across her nose and she suddenly hid behind Neji, trying to make herself disappear. Both Kakashi _and_ Neji chuckled at the girl's antics before their laughter was interrupted.

"Captain! You cannot be calling someone of Miss Hyuuga's stature like that! She is the future Head of the Hyuuga Clan!" Tenzō distressed.

"Calm down Tenzō," Kakashi said lazily to his teammate, which served to irk the man at Kakashi's tone. "Lady Hinata has given me permission to address her as Hinata okay? She said that since I was an adult and she was a child, which only served to be right of me to address her informally instead of formally."

Tenzō didn't look the least bit convinced but it was changed when Hinata addressed him. "I-It's true Mister Tenzō, I told M-Mister Kakashi to just call m-me Hinata. P-Please don't be mad at h-him." Hinata pleaded, unaware that her pale eyes were sparkling with her pleading look.

I guess the puppy dog eyes just come naturally to someone as cute as Hinata huh?

Tenzō hesitated at Hinata's look, but ultimately he was no match for a small girl and her natural puppy dog eyes. "W-Well… I guess if you say so Miss Hyuuga."

Kakashi raised a teasing brow and he smirked under his mask. "Oh? What did we have here? The great Tenzō has been defeated by a little girl?"

"Shut up!"

Cat sighed at her two teammates and looked at the little girl. She was shocked to find herself being stared at as well by the bluenette. Cat steeled herself and narrowed her eyes under her mask. The heiress must've caught on because she squeaked before she went to hide behind her cousin before poking her head out to stare once again at the kunoichi.

_What's up with this girl…? _Cat thought as she allowed herself minimum curiosity to peak into her features.

"A-Are you a female ninja M-Miss?" Hinata asked softly to Cat.

"I am." Cat replied curtly.

"Do y-you do very d-dangerous missions?"

"I do."

Hinata looked down for a moment, as if she was thinking of something, which confused the older female even more. The shy girl suddenly looked up and took in the woman's appearance a second time. She had a slim, but taut figure and she looked to be a young woman with straight, purple hair reaching down to her waist. She wore black and grey armor, metal arm guards and a katana that was strapped to her back. She also had a very unusual tattoo that was imprinted on her right shoulder. Hinata warmly smiled at Cat as a small blush reappeared on her cheeks. "Y-You are very p-pretty Miss."

Cat's eyes widened under her mask as her mouth went agape. Luckily, her mask concealed her emotions or she would've never heard the end of it from her Captain. Cat, like majority of the ANBU, had relinquished their emotions because they thought it would hinder their ninja duties and assignments.

_This girl is very interesting…_ Cat thought, and for the first time in a long time…

She smiled.

"Yūgao." Cat suddenly said.

Hinata blinked in surprise, but stared at Cat quizzically. "E-Excuse me?"

Cat sighed as she placed a hand on her hip. "My name. Yūgao Uzuki is my name. Make sure you don't forget it kid, because I have a feeling we might meet again soon, Hinata Hyuuga." Cat, or the newly dubbed Yūgao suddenly turned around and walked towards her bickering teammates.

"Hey, Tenzō."

"Yeah?" He said as he stopped arguing for a moment and looked towards Yūgao.

"Let's go." Yūgao looked towards Kakashi which made the teen raise an eyebrow questioningly. "I'm pretty sure our _Captain_ has some plans tonight. Don't worry Kakashi, I'll go report everything to the Sandaime." Yūgao looked at Hinata, who had walked from behind her cousin to stare at her one last time. The young woman smiled and waved at the shy girl. "Ja ne… Lady Hinata." And with that, Yūgao and Tenzō suddenly vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Kakashi blinked before he turned to the two children. They were blinking as well, as though they had no idea what just happened. "Uh, what did Cat actually say to you Hinata, Neji?"

"Well, Miss Uzuki told Lady Hinata her name before saying that they will meet again one day." Neji answered for his cousin. "After that she just left with your teammate."

Kakashi's eye widened slightly. _Yūgao told Hinata her name huh…?_ He looked at the spot where said woman was previously before. _What are you planning…?_ He was silent for a few more moments before turning back towards the children as his eye smiled. "Well, no use on dwelling on that anymore. Let's go inside shall we? I'm sure your family and Naruto is very sick and worried about the two of you being out for soo long."

And with that, Kakashi led the two inside the enormous gates of the Hyuuga Compound.

* * *

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?!" A loud, obnoxious, yet very familiar screamed. His voice carrying throughout the entirety of the Hyuuga Mansion. Naruto Uzumaki was pacing around the dining room back and forth at a restless pace. He was wearing what Hinata and Neji usually wore when they sparred: A black mesh-shirt, with a fishnet shirt underneath, and black moveable pants. But right now wasn't the time to go more into detail about appearances.

Naruto was clenching and unclenching his hands as he paced around every few seconds. The dinner table was set but no one, not even him, was eating the delicious spread that was placed on the table. Hiashi was sitting by his wife, who was sobbing quietly into her hands as she thought the worst of Hinata and Neji's absence, while Hizashi was sitting on the other side of them next by an empty pillow that was Naruto's seat. Hizashi was unusually quiet and his eyes looked empty and worn down as he had his hands placed neatly in his lap.

Hiashi was the most composed of the four, but he too was expressing his dislike of his eldest daughter and nephew's empty presences. He had his arms crossed but one sole finger was tapping against his arm in a very restless. Almost as restless as Naruto's pacing… Almost…

The clanhead's eyes looked very stressed and dark rings were very defined around them as well, almost as if he hadn't slept in days. The man was powerful, stern, strict, and very impassive, but he too also had emotions and tonight he was expressing a lot of them that hadn't been seen in years.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed as he stopped at his seat before he started to pace again. "What's taking them soo long? Why are they soo late? It's been two fucking hours already!" He screamed before he punched a wall that he was standing nearby. That statement of their time lapse made Hitomi cry harder into her hands before she was pulled into her husband's strong and steady embrace to help calm her down.

Naruto mutter an apology but he continued his pacing. He had never felt this way before. His very first friend, and his other friend that he had just acquired, were gone as soon as they came. It was late, almost 10 O'clock, and there was no hind or tail of them. When he thought about never seeing Hinata again, it made him feel like his heart was being torn in two and his gut retch like he was going to throw up.

He felt his eyes sting as the hot liquid of tears began to form, but he willed himself to keep them down. _No way am I gonna cry! I'm gonna see Hinata again! I know I am… I just know it…_

As if Kami was answering his prayers, the two tatami doors that led into the dining room opened and a frantic looking branch member suddenly burst in, stopping everyone from what they were doing.

"Yes what is it?" Hiashi demanded as he let go of his wife, much to her protest, to stand up and regard the branch member. The man didn't say anything, instead his face looked like he had just seen a ghost before he suddenly stepped to the side and let three people in. It was Hinata, Kakashi, and Neji that came in with the older teen carrying the younger boy on his back as he held the hand of the shy girl.

"H-Hello everyone." Hinata greeted with a warm smile. She looked slightly ruffled up and her hair was a bit messy and her jacket was dirty with little tears here and there, and her left cheek was still red and swollen but she looked much better than her cousin. Neji was a lot more ruffled up than Hinata with a lot more tears in his jacket and clothes, his right leg was red and swollen with cuts on it, and the corner of his lip was still bleeding, but he was smiling as if nothing was wrong with him. "W-We are home." Hinata said finishing her sentence.

The four people looked at them with deafening shock before Hitomi got up suddenly and ran towards her eldest daughter and wrapped her in a suffocating hug. Hitomi cried silent tears as she hugged her daughter, never wanting to let her go.

Hinata was shocked by her mother's action, but she let go of Kakashi's hand and wrapped her arms her mother as much as she could as her eyes shifted to the side to look at the woman. "M-Mother? Are you alright? A-Are you sick? Do y-you need a doctor?" Hinata asked a little frantically.

Hitomi gave out a bittersweet laugh as she loosed up her hug to look into her daughters lavender-tinted eyes with her own puffy, red ones. "N-No… I am fine now…" She hugged her daughter as she smiled with relief. "Everything is fine now my flower."

Hizashi stood up and followed his sister-in-law's example, but he approached Kakashi with slightly stumbling steps. "Kakashi, may I…?"

Kakashi nodded respectfully. "Of course. He's your son." The teen bent down on one knee to let the boy slid off of his back. Neji staggered for a moment, but he regained his footing and patted Kakashi's back to let him know he could stand. The teen nodded and stood up and walked to the side to let the father approach his son.

Hizashi kneeled down on his knee this time and placed both of his strong hands on his son's appearance. The boy was mangled pretty badly and he was holding his right side for a reason that the man probably knew of, but the boy was staring at his father with a warrior like expression on his face. That sent the Head of the Branch House over the edge.

"Father I—!" Neji was suddenly caught off guard once his father had too wrapped him up in a tender embrace but he was squeezing a little harder than Hitomi did with Hinata. But, Neji seemed that he could handle it pretty well. "Father…?!" Neji exclaimed in an astonished voice.

"Thank Kami you're safe…" Hizashi said lowly as he allowed his tears of anguish rolled down his cheeks. "I've lost your mother… but I just can't afford to lose you… I-I don't think I could bear it…"

Neji's eyes widened as his father mentioned his mother. The boy had asked about his mother once in his lifetime, but he never asked again because of the pain he saw in his father's eyes. That's way he never asked, but he was always curious about her and there hasn't been a day that he hasn't thought about her. Neji hesitantly patted his father's back, unfamiliar with this new gesture he was experiencing. He and his father never really hugged, for the fear of the Elders finding about in weakness that was being displayed amongst the two. The young boy has learned to cope with it over the years, but now that he was finally experiencing it for the first time, he didn't really know what to do.

After Hizashi and Hitomi finished their crying, they let go of their children and allowed them to sit at the table. Hinata zipped the zipper down her coat and shimmed out of it and before she could put it up, she saw Naruto crying silently as he stood near his seat. She quickly tossed her coat to the side and ran over to him.

"N-Naruto! Naruto! Wh-What's wrong, are you hurt?!" Hinata asked, as she examined her best friend. Before she could say anything, she was suddenly engulfed into a bone-crushing hug that was courtesy of Naruto himself.

"Dammit Hinata!" Naruto screamed as he buried his face into her shoulder, ignoring that she flinched because of his tone. He squeezed her tighter and his tears came rolling down by the boatloads. "Don't fuckin' scare me like that again! I thought you…" He grinded his teeth together in frustration before he let her go and grabbed her by the shoulders in an iron tight grip. "I thought you were going to never come back again!" He said shaking her in slight anger. Hinata wasn't really scared but she was just surprised by his sudden outburst. "I-I thought you were going to…! I thought you were going to leave me…" The blonde exuberant boy said with his voice softening. His grip loosened on her shoulders, but he started to shake.

Hinata's eyes softened as she watched her crush cry over her. When she thought about that, it made her blush but she felt that it was inappropriate to think about things like that right now.

Naruto continued to let soft tears roll down his cheeks until he felt something soft and warm press against him. His eyes widened once he saw Hinata hug him in a soft but firm embrace.

"N-Naruto…" Hinata said quietly before she smiled into his chest. "We are best friends. And best friends never leave each other. And that is something that I am willing to do."

Naruto sniffed as he felt more tears roll down his cheeks and his nose began to run as well. He hugged her, but this time he smiled.

…

The birthday dinner was great. Everyone was smiling and laughing and recalling good times of the old days and stories that just happened a few days ago. Hinata and Neji were all patched up and her smiling alongside of their family and friends as if their horrific incident never happened.

But when Naruto did ask them what happened to them. Neji told them that they were confronted by a crowd of twenty rioting men.

"What?!" Naruto screamed as he slammed his hands on the table, making the dishes clatter from the force of the boy's hands. "What happened?!"

"W-Well," Hinata began as she fiddled with her fingers when all eyes were directed at her, "we saw a crowd of m-men at the front of the compound and s-some Hyuuga guards trying th-their best to disperse them all. W-We tried to go around them but we were c-caught when I bumped into one of th-them. Sorry N-Neji." Hinata apologized and she bow towards the boy.

The young branch member just waved her off. "It was not your fault Lady Hinata. I just pulled you along a little too sharply and that's what caused us to get caught."

Hinata just smiled gratefully, feeling that if she apologized anymore that it would be a never-ending cycle. "A-Anyway, one of them… forcibly lifted me up by th-the wrist and the men all crowded m-me."

This made Naruto, Hiashi, and Hizashi narrow their eyes at Hinata proclamation. The girl was looking down at her hands in a timorous manner as she didn't look up at the gazes that were being directed at her.

Then Naruto said something that had been going on in the heads of the three males. "They didn't… hurt you… did they…?" The whiskered boy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

But everyone in the room could clearly hear his voice, like it was a voice that was resounding through a long tunnel. Neji had his arms folded and his grip tightened as he looked away. His jaw tightened and his gaze turned hate-filled. Hinata just looked up for a brief second and she unconsciously brushed her swollen cheek that Hitomi had patched up with a cloth and gauze.

The bluenette winced at the light contact before she quickly placed her hand back into her lap. "Yes… I-I was… slapped…" She said in a meek voice.

Naruto's eyes widened in anger before he bristled, his anger growing. Hiashi and Hizashi were also angered, a vein jumping across their jaws. Hinata was sitting in her mother's lap and Hitomi gasped and hugged her eldest against her chest.

The heiress noticed her mother's reaction and felt her tears wetting her hair. Hinata smiled reassuringly at the woman and patted her arm. "I-It's okay mother, I-I'm fine now." Hitomi just nodded but didn't let the small girl go, she just tightened her hold.

"No the hell you're not!" Naruto shouted, he pounded an angry fist on the table. His blood was boil and his teeth was grinding. He had never felt this much anger, this much _hatred_ before in his young life. He felt as if his insides were on fire and that fire wanted to be let out so badly. No one hurt his friend! Not if they wanted to lose some limbs in return! "You were _slapped_!" Naruto suddenly stood up and punched a fist into his hand. "Where's the bastard that hit you?! What does he bloody look like?! I swear when I get my hands on him I'm gonna make him wish he was never born!"

Hinata stared at Naruto in shock. She didn't expect him to react like that, she did expect him to get angry, but not full on hatred! Even his eyes flashed red!

Wait a minute… His eyes flashed red…?

Hinata squinted her eyes to focus on the blonde's eyes. Her eyes widened. She saw it! She saw the red in his eyes! It was a brief moment, but it was there. Naruto's eyes suddenly changed from blue to red. And his pupil turned into slits like a feline's.

"N-Naruto please calm down!" Hinata pleaded. She tried to get out of her mother's grip, but the woman was too strong and kept pulling her back down. Defeated, she sighed and settled into her mother's warm body as she tried to simultaneously calm her best friend down. "I-It's over! I-I calmed the crowd d-down and they all went back home! P-Please Naruto, please!"

Naruto looked down at his friend and saw that her eyes looked to be on the verge of tears. She suddenly started to sob and that made Naruto's anger immediately wash away and his eyes return to normal. "A-Ah Hinata! Wh-Why are you crying?!" He quickly sat on his knees in front of the girl and started to frantically wave his hands. "Okay! Okay! I'll stop! I'm really sorry Hinata! I-I was just kidding see?" He said as he started to laugh nervously, hoping to calm the bluenette down.

The upset girl looked up at her friend with puffy red eyes and quivering lips. "R-Really Na-Naruto…?" Hinata hiccupped.

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Of course! But if that bastard ever hurts you again, I swear I'm gonna kick his ass! Believe it!" The vulgar boy said as he cracked his knuckles menacingly.

Hitomi giggled at Naruto's reaction and Hizashi gave out chuckle. The two adults both had the same thought as they watched the spectacle. _He is soo whipped…_

The dinner ended but the fun wasn't about to end. Hiashi directed the three children towards the Hyuuga Mansion training grounds after he gave Hinata a pat on the head which made the young girl look up at her father.

"I'm very proud of you Hinata." Was all the clanhead said before he began to walk a head of them and disappeared behind a tatami matted door.

Hinata stared at her father with her eyes every widening. _I'm very proud of Hinata… _These words replayed in her mind multiple times until she finally broke out of her trance. Hinata smiled as tears of joy began to sprinkle in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and quickly walked after her father.

…

"Surprise! Happy Birthday Naruto Uzumaki!" Loud cheers of happiness resounded throughout the training field and confetti and streamers flew everywhere.

Naruto and his entourage had walked out into the training field to be met by a lot of party-goers… Preferably the _entire_ Hyuuga Clan… Naruto was standing in shock as dozens, no, hundreds of smiling faces were looking down at him. There was no hate, disgust, anger, or pity in their eyes whatsoever. Instead, their eyes were filled with happiness and best of all…

Acceptance.

And hand was suddenly on his shoulder and he turned to see Hitomi's familiar smiling face beaming down at him. "This is your birthday Naruto, and we all decided to throw you a birthday party." She said as she gestured to Hinata, Neji, Hizashi, and surprisingly Hiashi _and_ Kakashi.

"Whaa?! You guys too?!" Naruto shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at the Head of the Hyuuga Clan and the ANBU Captain.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Yep. It seemed like fun."

Naruto turned to Hiashi who was looking away arrogantly as he stuffed his hands into his sleeve. "Hiashi-sensei?"

The man didn't say anything that is until his younger brother Hizashi elbowed him hard in the ribs and slightly winded the man. Hiashi grumbled under breath before he turned to address the hyperactive child. "I thought that a celebration of your birth would be… most appropriate to initiate in the Hyuuga household…"

Hitomi giggled as she linked her arm with her husband's. "Aw don't be modest Hiashi dear. It's just another way of saying that he likes you, Little Naruto."

That made Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth hang open. Hiashi, the clanhead of the Hyuuga Clan, the king of all death glares, the guy that will get you in the hospital in a second even if you just _looked_ at him funny… _liked Naruto_…? Him. The Number One Hyperactive Knuckleheaded young boy in all of Konohagakure, the village pariah, the demon brat, the Dead Last? It made Naruto's head spin before he felt another reassuring hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Hinata smiling at him gently with her cheeks slightly pink.

"Th-That's great news N-Naruto! Y-You should say th-thank you." Hinata prompted as she gave him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder.

Naruto blinked owlishly for a moment before he jumped up in realization. "O-Oh right!" He turned to Hiashi and gave him a humble bow. "Thank you very much for doing this for me Hiashi-sensei!"

Said man just gave a grunt of approval at the boy before addressing the crowd of Hyuuga. "I thank you all for attending this celebration and taking precious time out of your busy schedules." Hiashi's voice boomed over the crowd, hushing the murmurs that were beginning to escalate. "Though he may not be of blood, Naruto Uzumaki is a very special one to us Hyuuga, and to repay his kindness for showing us the emotion, we are gathered here for his day of birth and to show our gratitude for him."

"HERE! HERE!" The Hyuuga's voice shouted as most raised their fists in the air to show their excitement.

Hiashi smiled inwardly, but continued his speech. He slowly raised his hands in the air for a more dramatic affect. "Now then, let the festivities begin!" Everyone cheered and screamed happily and upbeat music began to blare throughout the mansion.

…

Naruto was laughing heartily at one of Hizashi's jokes. He never knew the man was soo funny. The blonde looked around to see Hyuuga of all walks of life enjoying themselves. Lots of tables were sided-by-side, holding plates of food for everyone. There was a band of men with one female singer that were playing lively and upbeat music that filled everyone with joy. He even saw some Hyuuga dancing.

The young lad then turned his attention to his right side. Hinata Hyuuga was giggling in amusement when Neji had whispered something into her ear. The Uzumaki had never seen his friend so happy before. She was smiling a whole lot and her cheeks never lost their pinkish glow. And she seemed to giggle at every little thing.

_Huh…_ The orphan boy thought as he smiled gently at her. _I kinda like seeing Hinata like this…_ He saw Hinata suddenly blink before she turned to look at him. She gave him a gentle smile which made his face heat up and look in another direction… any direction…

"N-Naruto? Are you o-okay? Are you e-enjoying yourself?" He heard her say, her voice sounding a little worriedly.

"Y-Yeah I—!" Naruto coughed to clear his throat. He did not like how his voice had suddenly gone squeaky. What was going on with him? "Yeah, I'm fine Hinata. Believe it!" He said giving her a thumbs up in reassurance.

"Presents! Presents!" Hitomi said in a chipper voice as she grabbed everyone's attention by lightly tapping a spoon against a glass cup. The music subsided until it completely died down and everyone turned to look at their matriarch. Hitomi beamed before she clasped her hands together. "Okay everybody; it is time to give the birthday boy his presents. Who would like to go first?"

The gifting of presents took a while because of the many people that were attending the party. Naruto could not believe how many presents he was receiving. He usually got one or two from Iruka of the Old Man Hokage, but this… these presents were at least in the fifties! Maybe even more!

"H-Here you go Naruto-sama!" A Hyuuga girl said. She was the same age as him and Hinata and she was flanked by three other girls too. Naruto looked at them quizzically with his closed-eyed expression. They were looking at him with small hearts in their eyes and they had small blushes that Hinata sometimes wore on her cheeks.

_They're acting really weird…_ Naruto thought as he gently took the beautifully wrapped green colored present away from the girl's hands. _Almost like Hinata usually does…_ Naruto ripped open the present and was rewarded with two sets of kunai and shuriken. His eyes lit up like it was Christmas. "Oh man, this is soo cool! Thanks for getting this for me! I owe you girls!" He said grinning at them.

The girls' faces all turned red and they squealed. "N-No Naruto-sama! You don't need to owe us!" They all said simultaneously before they quickly ran back in the crowd, their peals of squealing heard throughout the crowd.

Naruto felt his sweat-drop along with a few of the others. "O-Okay… I guess…?" Before he could ponder more on the issue, he was suddenly bombarded with more presents and shouts of indignation.

"Master Naruto please open mine next!"

"No open mine Naruto-sama!"

"Ours is much better that will interest your fancy!"

"My wife made this with much care!"

Naruto screamed as he was suddenly crushed under a pile of presents and more shouts that were coming from the crowd.

This time, Hinata felt her sweat-drop. She felt a little jealous when the other Hyuuga girls were looking at Naruto in an affectionate way, but it was immediately quashed once she saw her best friend get bulldozed by dozens of presents.

_Naruto must really be popular in the Hyuuga Clan…_ Her eyes glazed over for a moment. _I wonder how the Hyuuga Elders are taking this…?_

"Hinata…" A voice moaned. Said girl turned to see Naruto struggling to pull himself out of the pile of presents. Don't get him wrong, he did like presents, but this was just ridiculous! He grunted as he managed to squeeze half of his body out but was suddenly stopped when he heard laughing. The slightly battered boy looked up and saw Hinata holding her stomach as peals of laughter rattled her frail figure. Tears were sprinkling in her eyes and a dark red blush stained her cheeks.

Naruto blushed. He could get used to that sight. No matter if he had to make a fool out of himself, the whiskered child always liked to see the young heiress happy. "Oi! What's so funny?!" Naruto said in mock anger, hiding a grin that was threating to come out.

Hinata's laughter subsided as she wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. "Y-You…" She chuckled in amusement.

"That's a pretty damn good explanation!" Naruto said as he rubbed his chin with a smile. The two children laughed merrily, unaware that Hinata's parents were trying to keep the shouting crowd at bay.

…

Naruto and Hinata were walking through the halls of the Hyuuga Mansion with tired steps. The birthday party had lasted to one O'clock in the morning, and everyone was bushed. Naruto still had some presents that hadn't been opened, but he decided to wait until tomorrow to worry about them… Or was it later on today…?

The orange loving blonde gave a big yawn; he's steps slow and sluggish. Hinata was barely awake for she kept nodding off only to stumble over her two feet. Naruto offered her his shoulder to lean on and she took it gratefully. And even though the lad was tired and sleepy, he still had something that was nagging his mind.

Hinata hadn't given him her present yet.

Naruto looked down at her friend with droopy, yet confused eyes. Had she forgotten? Did she lose it? He didn't know but he had to know. _No use thinking about it…_ He said to himself. "Hey… Hinata…?"

"Mm?" The girl moaned, her pale-eyes closing tiredly.

Naruto gulped. "D-Did you get me a present…? Ya know… F-For my birthday…?"

Silence.

"Hina—!" He was suddenly cut when Hinata shot up soo fast; it almost gave him a whiplash. She held her face in her hands and her sleepy expression quickly turned into a horrified one.

"AH! YOUR PRESENT!" Hinata, for the first time in her life. Screeched. She suddenly grabbed his hand and started run with him literally flying after her. "Come with me!"

After that, surprising yet exhilarating moment, Naruto was panting heavily as he rested his hands on his knees. Hinata had dragged him into her room where Hanabi was sleeping soundly. The eldest was rummaging through her wardrobe until she pulled out something. She quickly closed it with a soft click and tiptoed out of the room and slid the door shut.

"S-Sorry Naruto," she apologized as she turned around to bow humbly, "I totally f-forgot to give you your p-present. H-How careless of me…"

Naruto smiled at her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's cool Hinata. You had it the whole time, but you were so caught up in the party, I guess you sorta forgot. Anyone would forget something in an awesome party like that, believe it!" This statement made the shy girl smile and the boy's smile stretch eve wider.

"Hee hee. I-I guess so." Hinata looked down at her present before she held it out to her best friend. "Ha-Happy birthday Naruto, please e-enjoy my gift to you."

Naruto smiled gratefully and took the box out of her hands. It was a little deformed and had scuffs of dirt on it, but it was still a present he was willing to take.

"I-I am soo s-sorry about the present Naruto. I-It took a wallop of the scuffle me a-and Big Brother Neji had w-with the villagers." Hinata's eyes down-casted. "I-I hope you can forgive m-me."

Naruto felt his left eyebrow twitch at the mention of "scuffle" and "villagers". The flames of his anger started to rekindle again, but he breathed in deeply and exhaled heavily to calm himself. He knew that if he got mad again, it would make Hinata upset again. And he certainly didn't want that.

"It's okay Hinata," Naruto said in a somewhat strained voice, "you had no control over it. And besides, I'm sure I'm gonna really like you're present!"

Hinata's eyes brightened and Naruto sighed in relief. The boy was much more careful when he unwrapped her present than the other ones. He felt that Hinata's presents were always special, so they deserved special care. Once he was finished, his eyes widened in surprise.

It was a black and white walrus sleeping hat and a chubby, green-frog wallet that was empty. The reason why the boy was so shocked was because these were the sole two items that he had really wanted for a long time. They were very expensive because they were the last two items on stock.

"H-How did you—?"

Hinata smiled. "I-I saw you looking at them fondly one m-morning. A-And your birthday was coming up s-so I thought they would make a really good p-present for you. Do y-you like it?"

"Of course I do!" Naruto grinned and engulfed his best friend in a tight hug. "You're the best Hinata! You seem to know what I always want!" He suddenly put her down and his grin widened. "It's like you're my wife or something!"

Hinata froze up completely after that sentence. _It's like you're my wife or something…! You're my wife or something…! You're my wife…! My wife…! My wife…!_ Those words replayed over and over again in her young mind until the shy girl's face erupted into a dark crimson color before her body went limp.

"O-Oi! Hinata!" Naruto shouted as he quickly threw his present on the ground to catch the heiress before she could fall face first into the ground. He began shaking her a little with panic plastered on his face. "Did I say something wrong? Hinata?!" Even though she couldn't hear him, there was a smile small and a soft blush that was still on the bluenette's face.

* * *

_Next Time on Changes for the Better: As the years go by_

* * *

**WHOOHOO! 15,939 WORDS BABY! AWWW YEAH! I'm finally finished…. This thing took me weeks to finish because of STUPID SCHOOL AND ITS STUPID HOMEWORK! (_) But I'm finally done and I won't have to worry about this story anymore….**

**KK, dudes, 2 quick announcements for ya.**

** 1) I need your help again, but I need you help with Naruto's fighting style in the next chapter. As already explained in the previous chapter, Naruto by no means CANNOT COPY THE HYUUGA STYLE. My rules, my way. If you don't** **like it then DEAL. Anyhoo, just submit your suggestions on the fighting styles and the one I like most will be the winner.**

**I already have one from a Miss **_WinterPrayerOfTheMoons_** (lovely person by the way). Her (or if you're a boy please forgive me) submission was called **_**the Gale Style**_**:**

_**Gale Style**_**:** _A style that has the same stance of the Hyuuga, but it is a fighting style that uses wind chakra instead of regular chakra._

**OH! And when yo guys give me your suggestions, PLEASE SUMMARIZE WHAT YUR STYLES CAN DO PLEASE!**

**2) Okay, announcement numero 2! I am thinking of creating another story! Don't get me wrong I am not giving up on** _Changes for the Better_ **(BY HEAVENS NO! I AM ON THE ROLL WITH THIS ONE!), but the other story I might make is called:** _The Lost Clan of Whirlpool_.

**Pretty mysterious right?**

**This story is going to be about the Uzumaki Clan coming for Naruto when he is only 3 years old. They take him back to Whirlpool, and they train him to become the next Daimyo after his Grandfather (will explain later). 5 years later however, the Leaf Village has requested their assistance because they are in some deep trouble (I don't know what, maybe come up with it later). So they ask for help. The Uzumaki Clan helps but they are forced to marry Naruto to a heiress from a clan in the Leaf. It's NaruHina, so you know who that heiress is… Kekekeke….**

**So that pretty much sums it up! Please tell me if you like the idea of** _The Lost Clan of Whirlpool_ **and I might just make that story into a reality (there's gonna be a lot of adventures and perverted stuff in there… I plan on making that happen!).**

**If you have sneezed through this whole story thin GOD BLESS THINE FACE YOU BUSH-BABY! HAHAHAHA! Till next time folks, PEACE! (^/^)**

**[1]- Hitai-ate: A Forehead Protector worn by shinobi.**

**[2]- Tantō sword: A small sword that is rarely used in the leaf. Its size my seem demeaning by its very effective and can cut down any enemy.**


	6. As The Years Go By

**As the Years go by…**

…

_Thinking/ Indention/ Flashbacks/ Fantasies/Dreams_

**Kyuubi talking to Naruto in mindscape/ Naming a jutsu/ bold indention**

_**Kyuubi talking telepathically to Naruto/ Inner Sakura/ Calling out a jutsu/ Bold indention**_

…

* * *

(Approximately 6 years later…)

It was a wonderful morning in the great and powerful Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sun was nestling snuggly in the sky, the birds were singing and chirping their songs, and the air was ripe and pure, a smell of adventure. The villagers and shinobi walked among the streets of Konohagakure, a since of peace filling their spirits and their souls. Today was a great day, but somehow it seemed to be greater than all the other days they previous had over the years.

But none of them knew that today, was the day when two familiar people returned.

At the main gates of the village, two Chūnin were stationed in a booth with bored expressions on their faces as they guarded the front gates. Their names were Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane and theses two partners were best friends since their childhood. Izumo had brown hair, and dark eyes. His hair was combed down and always seemed to cover his right eye. He wore his hitai-ate like a bandanna along with the standard Konoha shinobi outfit which goes all the way up to his chin, and a green flak jacket with black sandals.

Kotetsu had long, spiky, black hair and dark eyes. He had a strip of bandage running across the bridge of his nose and a light-colored marking on his chin. He wore the standard attire of Konoha shinobi complete with a hitai-ate and a green flak jacket with black sandals.

Kotetsu groaned out of boredom as he put his hands behind his head and rocked his chair back. "This is soo boring." He sighed.

"Tell me about it." Izumo said lazily with his head held in his hand as his elbow was propped up on the table. He was tapping a finger impatiently against the table they were sitting behind and the brunette was staring out of the main gates into the woods waiting for something, _anything_ out of the ordinary to happen. "I can't _believe_ we got stuck with guard duty."

Kotetsu nodded in agreement. "I know right? Guard duty is such a pain in the—!" He suddenly stopped when the man saw something out in the horizon. He stopped rocking in his chair and narrowed his eyes at the figures that had suddenly appeared on a hill and were slowly coming towards the main gates.

"What do you— Gack!" Izumo was cut off when Kotetsu had yanked the binoculars that were hanging from his neck and put them against his eyes. It was slowly strangling the man and he punched his partner hard in the arm to signal his suffering.

"Oops." Kotetsu grinned sheepishly and took of the binoculars around his best friend's neck. "Sorry Izumo." Said man grunted but didn't say anything else to his best friend. Kotetsu chuckled before he held up the binoculars to his eyes and looked into them. He saw the figures much closer now and saw that they were oddly familiar.

Kotetsu's eyes widened in surprise and he leaned forward in his seat. "Huh?! Is that who I think it is?!" Before he could look further into the situation, he found that the binoculars were snatched away from him. He blinked before he turned to Izumo looking deeply into lenses. "You know you could've _asked_ for them." Kotetsu said but Izumo just ignored him.

Then the brunette too widened his eyes. "Well lookie here." He said while he smiled. "It looks like they have returned." If you could look into binoculars you could see five tall figures and two short ones. One of the two short figures had blonde hair and the other had dark blue hair.

It looks like the peacefulness of the Hidden Leaf Village was about to come to an abrupt and hectic end this day.

* * *

A twelve year old boy was walking down a dirt path with a happy and mischievous grin on his face. The boy's name was Naruto Uzumaki and he was practically bouncing as he and his entourage started to get closer and closer the Leaf. Naruto still had the same spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but he also had jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face. He wore a red tracksuit with three orange stripes on the sleeves, an orange T-shirt , mesh under-armour, a pair of black pants and blue sandals. Naruto had decided to tone down on vibrant orange because Hitomi had told him that in the ninja word he had to be stealth and blend into the back ground.

Wearing kill-me-now orange would get him detected fairly fast. But he did still wear his signature color, but he wore it a lot less than he used too when he was little.

Now not only had the blonde change his whole outlook, he had also grown a bit physically as well. He and Hinata Hyuuga had been away from the village for nearly seven months now by the request of Hiashi, Hitomi and Hizashi Hyuuga. The reason they left was because the elders were becoming strangely violent because of Naruto's popularity with the clan. So they mostly took out their anger on Hiashi and occasionally Hinata. Fearing the worst for the children, the two brothers and wife begged the Hokage for Naruto and Hinata to be away for a while until the elders settled down. The Sandaime was hesitant at first, but eventually relented towards their request because he cared deeply for Naruto's safety.

So during their seven month time-lapse, Naruto and Hinata were trained to become stronger. The results were truly successful. Naruto had grown taller and was exactly three inches taller than Hinata (**A/N: So he's five feet tall, and Hinata's 4"7**) and the reason why was because Naruto had been drinking lots of milk during his time with the Hyuuga Clan. Hitomi had told him if he drank at least one cup of milk every day, he would get taller when he was older. He followed her instructions but instead of one milk a day he drank three milks a day.

The reason being was that Naruto was short at that time. _Very_ short. And he was _very touchy_ about the subject of his small height. And once he found out that Hinata was taller than him when he compared their heights one day, he was devastated and humiliated. A _girl_ was freaking taller than him! So he drank three milk cups a day to improve his height, and six years later, he was very satisfied to know that he was taller than Hinata now.

Now back to physical appearances, Naruto was no longer a waifish boy anymore. Instead, he had trained his body with weight training, chakra exercises, taijutsu training, and sparring with Hinata and now his body was built strong and almost as hard as a rock. His arms were toned and he had developed a four pack along the way.

He was in simple terms, ripped for his age.

He had also lost most of his childish roundness along his cheeks and had developed a slightly narrow jaw-line. He looked very handsome and slightly mature now. His eyes weren't as big as before, instead they had grown slightly sharper, and his eyelashes were well-defined. His whisker marks were still there but it added a classical charm to his outlook and exuberant persona.

He looked over to his best friend and traveling buddy Hinata Hyuuga and smiled. He wasn't the only one who grew out up of the two. Hinata had grown her hair out and it now reached to her shoulders. The two long strands that accentuated her face grew longer until they both stopped a little ways from her collarbone. Her face also lost its roundness and was framed a bit elfish-like. Her eyelashes grew longer and her skin was still soft and pale as ever.

Her body was slim, lean, and very sturdy for a girl. She trained hard within the seven months, training and almost perfecting the fluid fighting style of her mother that they liked to call: the **Gentle Step**. Ever since she and Naruto became friends and started to train harder, the timid Hyuuga had started to steadily regain her confidence back, for it was very well shown in her clothing.

Hinata had shed her baggy clothes and went for the more form-fitting, yet modestly decent clothing that a kunoichi-in-training usually wore. She wore a loose-fitting short-sleeved blue kimono dress with sky blue trimmings that stopped to mid-thigh and was held closed by a large dark blue obi tied at her midsection. The lower half of the kimono dress was cut off on the sides revealing some black shorts that also stopped at mid-thigh. And she also wore fish-netted stockings with blue sandals of course.

On the upper half of the kimono dress, she wore a mesh shirt underneath her kimono and dark blue hand guards. Both preteens had weapon holsters from their training with weapons. Naruto had his at his hip strapped by a black belt around his waist, and Hinata's was strapped to her right thigh.

As Naruto and Hinata were walking, they also traveled with Hitomi, Hizashi, Kakashi Hatake, and Ko and Tokuma. Hitomi, Ko, Tokuma, and Hizashi still looked the same, but Hizashi was wearing a simple black outfit with mesh armour underneath, a black forehead protector, and an obi around his waist. Kakashi still wore his face mask and hitai-ate over his left eye and his hair was still defying gravity. But this time he donned the standard wear of Konoha's forces and began to wear shorter metal-plated gloves.

Since the first time they met, Naruto and Kakashi began to really get along with each other. The two managed to form a bond with each other that seemed to be stronger than any steel. Basically, they both saw each other as brothers.

During the seven months, Naruto had managed to pick up a thing or two from the masked man. The blonde began to read more, but never the perverted books that his surrogate brother read, and learned to build up more tolerance. He was _way_ more patient that in his earlier years, but the Uzumaki still had quite the horrible temper when provoked constantly. And the man had even given the boy his own face mask.

Kakashi was Naruto's main instructor and taught him half of the things he knew. Naruto learned the art of sword fighting and was getting better at chakra exercises. But when the adults found out that Naruto couldn't be able to perform the **Clone Jutsu** onone day of ninja training, Kakashi taught him a technique that greatly changed his life.

The **Shadow Clone Jutsu**.

Naruto smirked mischievously at the thought but was brought out of it when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He blinked before he looked down to see Hinata looking straight back up at him. Her creamy cheeks were dawned with that familiar pink hue that he was soo used to seeing now. Hinata had managed to gain more confidence, but she could never get rid of that blush when she was around him.

Naruto smiled at her before his eyes flinted to her body. Hinata was lean, yes, but she had also managed to have a slightly curvaceous form as well. Her small hips were nicely rounded, he could see that her stomache was toned and flat by the way her obi clung to her, and her chest… well her chest was the most noticeable thing about her physical appearance besides her eyes.

As soon as his eyes landed on his friend's chest his mind immediately went into calculation mode. _Chest size… thirty-six to thirty-eight inches… Bra size… C-cup…_ _Damn, her breasts have gotten bigger since last time…!_ He thought before he blinked and his face erupted into a red color. He quickly ripped his eyes away and focused his eyes forward. His ears twitched when he heard snickering behind him and his teeth grinded together in frustration and he felt his face turn another shade of red.

He was soo glad that Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuuga wasn't here.

Anyway, that wasn't the only thing that Kakashi had taught him. The blonde preteen was forced into learning the breast sizes of women so he could be better at "calculating" various things when he got older. Frankly, Naruto thought it was a twisted way of Kakashi enjoying his embarrassment.

Thanks to him, Naruto became a little perverted.

_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!_ Naruto swore as he ruffled up his hair to try and get rid of Hinata's chest sizes from his mind. _Stupid Kakashi! Why the hell did he make he remember all those sizes?! That bastard! But…_ Naruto felt his lips stretch into a small perverted smile as he had a nosebleed. _I never knew Hinata grew another size on our training trip… I wonder if they're gonna get any bigger…? Heh heh heh…_ His eyes widened when he realized what his thoughts had just processed. He ruffled up his hair more and felt his blush deepen. _Damn it! There I go again! What the hell is wrong with me?!_

"Naruto…? Naruto? Naruto!" A voice screamed out to him, making said boy jump. He looked to see Hinata pouting at him cutely. All thoughts washed away and his blush subsided into a light pink one on his cheeks. "Did you hear me?"

"Nope!" Naruto grinned at her. The heiress tried to be mad at him but she couldn't hold it out long enough and she began to giggle in amusement at her friend's obliviousness. Naruto laughed along with her before he started to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry Hinata, whadja say?"

Hinata waved off his apology before she smiled at him. "I said it's been so long since we've been back in the village." She looked a head and clasped her hands against her bountiful chest, making Naruto blush again and gulp as well. "I wonder how Kiba, Sasuke, and the rest are doing? It's been so long, I hope they're alright…"

Before they left, Naruto and Hinata became fast friends with the Inuzuka and Uchiha Clan heirs. They all grew close together as a group but the boys were always in arguments because they never really seemed to see eye to eye. It took the force of Hinata and her jutsu: **Hinata Style: Pinching Crab of Punishment** to make the boys behave.

Before Naruto could remark, the two preteens felt a hand on one of their shoulders and saw their shadows grew longer on the ground. They turned their heads to see Kakashi Hatake walking right behind him with his lone eye smiling his signature smile.

The white-haired man was twenty-six years old now. Young, healthy, and still in his prime. It was known throughout Konohagakure that the man had relinquished himself of his ANBU Captain title and settled for being back in the Jonin ranks. No one knew why such a powerful and dangerous man settled for a non-glamorous rank, as the ANBU liked to put it, as a Jonin.

When people did ask why he would simple respond with: "_I got tired of all of the missions that were unloaded on me… So I just settled for a more peaceful role."_

"My, my. Seeing you two so grown up makes me feel old!" The cyclopean chuckled heartily. "So what are you two planning on doing when you go back to the Academy? You know that the Genin Exams start soon right?"

Naruto just grinned before he gave his surrogate brother a thumbs up. "Yep! I'm gonna show everyone my awesome new skills and show em' all up!" He said before he clenched his hand together in a fist and his cerulean eyes went a blaze with fire. "And I'm gonna show up Sasuke-teme too! Oh I can't wait to put that arrogant prick in his place! Just you watch!" He suddenly turned on the Hatake which made his eye widened slightly in surprise. "Aw yeah! I'm soo pump up I gotta go off and burn it! See?!" The fire in his eyes lit up even more which made the Jonin sweat-drop.

"Yes, I see. Just don't hurt yourself." Kakashi remarked a little nervously.

Naruto's excitement subsided a bit but he couldn't keep himself from bouncing a little as he walked. "So Hinata, what are you gonna do at the Academy huh? Are you gonna show up everyone too? Huh?! Huh?!" He said as he grinned at his friend excitedly.

Hinata giggled at her friend before she found herself fidgeting with her necklace. Naruto had given it to her on her eighth birthday. They had traveled to a village called Tanzuka Town and it was an industrial and marketing village; known for its great shops and gambling halls.

The necklace had a silver chain with an orange maelstrom shaped pendant. Naruto had told her that she needed a great gift with a great color so he said that orange was the best. He even told her that orange suited her very well.

That thought made the timid girl blush before she addressed her crush. "I-I really don't know if I'm going to show up anyone. I'm sure that everyone in our class has gotten a lot stronger. Not just us." She said shyly, fidgeting with her necklace a bit more.

Naruto frowned at his the bluenette's statement. He knew that his class had grown up a lot and probably trained a lot to become strong, but he knew that Hinata was a lot stronger than she used to be. She would probably, no; she _would_ be the strongest kunoichi to ever come out of that classroom.

"No way 'Nata!" Naruto shouted before he flexed an arm and patted his bicep. "You're really _really_ strong now! Heck, after all that training we did, you still kicked my ass! I'm pretty sure you can beat up everyone in that classroom! Believe it!"

Hinata blushed and looked at the ground as she tapped her fingers shyly. The reason she was blushing so much was because of two things, the nickname Naruto had given her, and his praise of her strength.

They had been best friends for about six whole years now, and they had grown very close to each other. So because of their long-term friendship, Naruto had decided to give her a name that only he used when only she or people he could trust were around them. Thus the nickname '_Nata_ was born. And for the second reason was because Hinata's **Gentle Step** fighting style had progressed well and when she and Naruto sparred, she won majority of the matches.

So in order for him to keep up with her, Naruto was trained under Hizashi under the traditional Hyuuga taijutsu style, but they decided to alter it a bit so it could fit him well. They used the blonde's Wind Nature Affinity with his fighting style, just like Hinata and Hitomi did, and created that taijutsu style that was dubbed: the **Gale Fist Style**. The **Gale Fist **still was similar to the **Gentle Fist** but it was varied in many different ways. Once a palm was thrust upon a tenketsu point, a sharp blade of wind pierced through the point with every thrust, ripping and nearly destroying the tenketsu point. And also, the **Gale Fist** was a very unpredictable fighting style so it could mainly fit in with its nature affinity. The movements were fast, sharp, accurate, and precise.

It was a truly dangerous fighting style indeed.

Not only that, but with Naruto's new fighting technique, he was able to uphold and go head to head with Hinata's **Gentle Step** style. She lost the first few matches, because she didn't get quite a thorough grip on it, but as they continued to spar, she gradually began to learn and correct her mistakes until they both ended up in a draw.

Hinata nodded shyly at her friend's response. Feeling a bit bold, she took in a deep breath before she grabbed the blonde's hand into her own. His hand was large and slightly calloused and it felt a little rough, probably from all that training that he did. But the girl liked the way it felt into her own, soft, small ones. It felt… nice…

Naruto stared at her in surprise when he felt her grab his hand. That softness of hers in his felt good and the way his whole hand would envelop her small ones made him think that her dainty hands were… cute.

She looked at him with rosy cheeks and a happy smile. "Yes. And I know that you're really strong as well Naruto. So strong, that you will definitely fulfill your wish to become Hokage… and with me by your side all the way." (**A/N: INDIRECT LOVE CONFESSION?! Ha ha ha! Sorry guys I just had to put it there, gomen!**)

The blonde went silent for a few seconds before his face exploded into a dark red color. His mouth was opening and closing making him look like a floundering fish. He quickly brought a hand over his mouth and looked away with a his blonde eyebrows furrowing and one twitching along the way. She was going to stay by _his side_? What did that just mean _exactly_? Naruto didn't have the answer but it made his face turn crimson at the thought though.

As you all are probably wondering, Naruto has been recently taught the emotions and what all of them meant. Like how anger was evoked when something or someone made you mad. He learned that it was the complete opposite of jealousy. Jealousy was when you felt envious of another person's doing.

Naruto looked down at his friend with his hand still covering his mouth and his eyebrow still twitching. She was looking at him with worry and slight confusion by his sudden attitude. He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves (somewhat) before he spoke again. "So you're gonna stay by my side?" She nodded. Naruto looked away again, feeling his ears burn before he asked his question. "D-Doesn't that make you like my w-wife or something…?" He asked, still not looking at her.

Silence.

Hinata's mind went blank as soon as those words exited his mouth. And when she replayed want she said earlier it made since. Hinata's face, no, whole body instantly turned crimson and smoke was starting to emit smoke from her skull. She quickly shook her head as she waved her arms around frantically. "I-I'm really s-sorry! Th-That's not what I meant at a-all!" She squeaked in embarrassment. She whipped her hands down and clutched them against her chest. "I-I didn't m-mean for it to come o-out like that. I-It was a misunderstanding, s-sorry Na-Naruto…"

The blonde hanged his head in depression after hearing his friend's words. It was a misunderstanding? _That was it_? She sounded like she didn't _want_ to become his wife—!

Wait. _Why did he care?_

Sure it did make Hinata's reject of his question feel like he had thousands of arrows stuck in his back, and sure it did make him want to go off somewhere and curl into a ball and sulk but why did he _care_ though? Did he… _Did he like Hinata more than a_ _best friend_…?

_Nah…_ Naruto thought as he shook his head to try to get rid of the thought and his blush. _That's not it. I like Hinata as a friend, nothing more and nothing less… Although, it does sting a little… _Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he laughed nervously to shake off his embarrassment. "Yeah I guess it was just a misunderstanding! After all, you being my wife does sound pretty out there right?! Ha ha ha!"

Hinata felt her heart get pierced by an icy cold blade. Her blush immediately washed away from her face as she looked at the ground with a sad smile. "Y-Yeah… I guess it does…" She said softly.

Naruto raised a brow at the bluenette's suddenly quietness before he felt someone slug him in the back of the head. He screamed out in pain before he rounded on his attacker. It was Kakashi and he looked to be very disappointed and a little pissed at the blonde.

"What the hell was that for Kakashi?!" Naruto shouted at the Jonin as he rubbed the lump on his head.

He just looked at Naruto with a lazy expression while he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You're an idiot Little Bro, you know that?" Was all he said before he began to walk ahead of the two preteens.

"Oi! Whadja say?!" Naruto challenged with a raised fist.

"Oh, how the confliction of young love can be so cruel." This time it was Hitomi who was walking by them with Ko and Tokuma on her heels. She had some tears sprinkled in her eyes as she held up the sleeve of her kimono to hide her mouth.

"Aye." The two men agreed with a nod.

Naruto was thoroughly confused by everyone's behavior and when he turned to ask Hinata what was going on, she was already gone. He looked around frantically for her but found her walking alongside her mother, making a small conversation with her. He felt a hand on his shoulder again and this time it was Hizashi, Hiashi's twin brother. He had a gentle smile on his face as he herded the young boy forward.

"Don't worry about it Naruto. The reason why everyone is acting this way was because you said something that was a bit hurtful to Hinata. I think that you should go apologize to her later when you have the chance." He explained with a slightly scolding tone.

Naruto looked back at Hinata who was now staring at the ground. She looked so small and venerable now and it made his heart become very heavy to see his friend in this state. "O-Okay Hizashi-sensei, I'll apologize to her. I don't wanna make her sad… I hate seeing her sad…" He confessed with his blue eyes dimming and growing weary.

Hizashi smiled and patted the boy on his shoulder. "Now that's a very wise decision my boy. A very wise one indeed." And they walked slowly towards the group in silent but comfortable steps.

* * *

Hinata was enjoying a relaxing breakfast with her best friend. The two were sitting quietly on the Hokage Tower's roof as they waited for the adults to come out of the Hokage's office. They had told them two wait for them once they were finished giving their reports to the Hokage stating that they had returned. The two kids had complied to this and were now eating peacefully on the roof.

The timid and less shy girl glanced over to her partner. He had gone unusually quiet ever since they had first entered the gates. He hadn't said anything to her when they had went go it some rice balls for her and him to eat on. It was worrying her and it worried her even more when he wouldn't look at her.

_I-Is he still beating himself up of what he said earlier…?_ She thought. It had stung her for a bit but she had learned to get over it because she knew that one day she'll make him see her in a different light. It was just going to take some time before she worked up the nerve to do so. I forgive him but he must not know that… I should tell him, I hate seeing him like this…

"N-Naruto I—!"

"Hinata…" He said after nearly thirty minutes of silence. He looked into the sky before he turned his blue-eyed gaze into her lavender ones. The intensity of her gaze made her blush, and feel self-conscious about herself. He had never looked at her that way before and it made her a little nervous. "Please look at me…" He asked in a soft voice.

Hinata hesitated before she did what he asked and nearly screamed when she saw how close his face was to hers. His cheeks and the bridge of his nose was pink as he lips quivered and one of his brows twitch. "L-Listen I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or whatever about how weird it was of you being my wife okay?!" He yelled made her scoot back a few inches. "I was just… I was just…" His voice faltered for a moment before he screamed in frustration and started to ruffle up his spiky hair even more. "I-I was just embarrassed okay?! It wasn't your fault or anything!"

Hinata was so shocked that she could barely utter out her next words. "Y-You were embarrassed…?" He nodded. "Wh-Why…?"

He sat back down with a heavy whump and looked down at his hands with a frown. The blush never left his face and he found himself playing with his fingers nervously. "B-Because… I-I thought that you being my wife and all," he blush turned darker, "was sorta cool… So I thought that you wouldn't like me thinkin' that way so I kinda hid it up ya know? Sorry if I made you sad and all 'Nata…"

Hinata couldn't explain how she was feeling right now. She was happy, she wanted to cry, she wanted to hit him, she wanted to sing, she was confused, and surprisingly of all, she wanted to faint! All of her emotions welled up inside her before she released them all out with a big heavy sigh. She smiled happily as she wiped the tears that were forming on the rims of her eyes.

She didn't let Naruto see them of course. He would worry over her too much.

Hinata laughed heartily before she knee-walked over to the blonde and gave him a big hug. She buried her face in his chest with her arms tightening around him. "I'm not sad anymore Naruto. In fact, I'm happy. And I forgive you, I always do you know." She said sighing into his chest.

Naruto's eyes widened before he smiled. But it wasn't a mischievous or happy grin, and it definitely wasn't a fake smile, it was his genuine smile. His eyes crinkled slightly from the small stretch of his lips making his blue eyes turn even more vibrant as his smile showed little teeth. It was smile but it was very effective with the girls. When he traveled and gave off that gorgeous smile, that they called it the Knee-Knockin'-Faint-Spelling-So-Damned-Hunky-Smile that made many girls swoon over him whenever he graced it among their presence.

But that smile wasn't meant for them, no no, that smile was _only_ meant for _Hinata_. Because she was the only one who seemed to make him smile like that, and it made many girls envious of her power over the Uzumaki boy.

He hugged her back, with his strong arms wrapped easily around her petite frame and his lean and sturdy figure just as easily enveloping hers in his. They broke away, both blushing before Naruto suddenly perked up.

"Oh yeah!" He suddenly exclaimed as he bopped his fist into his other hand. "I forgot something!" He rummaged in his pocket before he pulled out a mask. Hinata's eyes widened as she watched the boy put it against his mouth and start to tie it at the back of his head.

"You're wearing your mask?" Hinata asked curiously as she pointed at it. "But you never wear that, even after Kakashi gave it to you on your ninth birthday."

"Yeah I know," The blonde said after he gave one last pull to tighten it securely onto his face. "But I thought it would look cooler if I confused everybody on what my face looks like now. Pretty sneaky eh?" His mask covered from the bridge of his nose to the joint of his jaws and skull. It's main color was black but it had three orange whisker-like markings that were eerily similar to his whisker marks on his face.

His gaze had all of a sudden turned bashful as he looked up in the sky and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well that and… Because I feel like only you, Hiashi-sensei, Hizashi-sensei, Miss Hitomi, Big Bro Kakashi, Ko, and Tokuma should see my face. After all, you guys are the few people who accepted me and all!" He chuckled.

Hinata blinked in surprise before a soft blush settled on her cheeks. "Y-Yes… That does sound very reasonable, Naruto." She said as she giggled along with him.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata were standing outside of the gates that led into the Konoha Ninja Academy. The place where the first met and the place that taught them everything they needed to know to get started on the path of the shinobi. The building loomed high above their heads and the wind caressed their hair as the building gave off an eerie silence since no one was in sight.

Naruto fidgeted with his goggles with his left hand since his right arm was being held closely to the body that was Hinata. She was very nervous, much more nervous than he, her pale eyes flitting somewhere every few seconds and her body slightly shaking. Naruto was just fidgeting with his goggles every now and then with his right foot tapping impatiently as if waiting for him to make up his mind.

They had been "dropped" off by Kakashi with courteous yet somewhat unhelpful words…

…

_FLASHBACK BEGINS (HAJIME!)_

_Kakashi had appeared in a cloud of white smoke when he saw the two preteen's just finish up their breakfast. When they turned around to look at him, he was slightly surprised to see the mask he gave Naruto hanging on the boy's neck before the lad lifted it up back into its original position._

_Kakashi smirked under his mask which made the boy narrow his eyes at him when he detected that smug look on his face. "Why are you lookin' at me like that huh?!" The blonde yelled brazenly._

"_Oh, no reason." Kakashi lied as his eye smiled. "I'm just curious to know why my little brother is finally wearing the mask I gave him."_

_Naruto blushed in embarrassment at Kakashi's suggestive tone and it made the Uzumaki's temper easily flare up. He instantly jumped to his feet and he pointed an accusing finger at the Jonin as a vein bursted on his head. "What's it to ya?! I just wanted to wear it, that's all! You got a problem or something?!"_

_Kakashi held up his hands in surrender at his hot-blooded foster brother. "No, no. I'm just curious that's all." He stuffed his hands into his pockets before he looked at them lazily. "Anyway, you two better hurry over to the Academy before recess starts. You're already late enough as it is."_

_Hinata stood up but she did it much gracefully than that of her counterpart. "But Mister Kakashi, how are we going to get over to the Academy? It's going to take at least thirty minutes before we get there."_

"_Ah, but that's where I come into play." He said as he waved a finger. They looked at him in confusion before they suddenly found themselves lifted up by the cyclopean before they all poofed away in white smoke._

_A few seconds later the two preteens found themselves at the front gates of the Academy. The Jonin set them down gently before he gave them a two-fingered salute. "Well, see ya later." Was all he said before he vanished in a swirl of leaves._

_FLASHBACK ENDS (KAI!)_

…

And that's how they ended up here. Naruto sighed as he ran a tanned hand through his slightly-longer-than-before golden blonde locks. The two were silent for they looked at each other, they both nodded once with determined expressions on their faces before they pasted through the gates and went into the front doors of the Academy.

The blond and the bluenette walked side by side as they walked through the welcoming and warm hallways the Konoha Ninja Academy had to offer. _Tak. Tak. Tak. _Their steps went as their sandals met with the oak hardwood floor softly. They heard the muffled voices of the other classrooms of the teachers and the students , but strangle enough, Naruto decided not to interfere like he usually did. But that's what you would expect from a slightly mature boy gone away for seven months.

They walked up the stairs and Naruto was getting impatient. He was about to say something but stopped once he saw Hinata's backside. Thin waist line, slightly curvy hips, and a voluptuous and probably soft rear end that he felt like he wanted to touch. An eyebrow twitched once he felt warmth spread across his cheeks again. Stupid Perverted Kakashi.

"Naruto?" Hinata suddenly said out of nowhere.

"Y-YES?!" Naruto shouted as he stood up straight with his eyes veering away in a different direction and his blush spreading with his heart thundering loudly in his chest. _Oh crap! She caught me! I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead! I am soo—!_

"Do you remember where the classroom is?" She asked, cutting him from his previous thoughts. "I-I can't seem to find it anywhere."

The blonde boy sighed in relief before he decided to walk ahead of her. Looking at Hinata's backside was not good for him for three simple reasons: 1) He'd get even more perverted, 2) Hinata would probably slap him with a chakra infused hand that will hurt _very badly_, 3) Her old man would flat out _annihilate_ him.

"Y-Yeah, it's Class 3-2 right? So it should be up here somewhere…" He said as he scanned down the hallway. He tilted his head down the path. "C'mon, we've gotta hurry before recess starts without us. Or else your old man will have both our asses for being soo late to class!" He laughed as he turned around and continued to walk with Hinata not too far behind him.

"I wonder what we'll learn about?" Her eyes suddenly lit and she smiled brightly. "Do you think that we'll learn more about geography?!"

Naruto groaned at her answer as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Ugh. I don't see why you like that crap soo much. It's just stupid land. Iruka-sensei would just be boring us all to death with his: _Takigakure was founded in blah blah blah_!" He mocked quite rudely. Hinata just pouted at him and gave him a hard dig in the arm. "Ouch! What was that for Hinata?!"

She just put her hand on her hips and waggled a scolding finger at him. "Naruto, you shouldn't make fun of Iruka-sensei like that. He's trying his best for all of us to know what's out there when we are deployed on missions. Future Hokage's should already know this." She chastised lightly.

"Yes, _mom_." Naruto said trying to pull off an angry look but settled for a smirk instead. Something white suddenly caught his eye and he looked up to see the "Classroom 3-2" plaque hanging securely above the door. He grinned happily as you pointed at the classroom in excitement. "Hey look! There it is!" He quickly grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her along until they reached the front door.

"W-Wait Naruto! Let go! You're hurting my wrist!" Hinata squeaked out as she jerked her wrist out of the strong boy's grasp.

He quickly let go and smiled sheepishly and scratched one of his cheeks with a finger. "Oops. My bad." He slid open the classroom's door and gestured for her to go in. "Ladies first?"

The Hyuuga heiress just giggled cutely at her friend before she thanked him and went inside. Naruto followed her soon after. As they walked in and stood in the front of the class, the classroom silent was already silent and as was Iruka.

Naruto looked at them quizzically before he shrugged it off. "Yo! Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga have returned! Howzit going?" He beamed as he winked at them all mischievously.

* * *

Iruka Umino was teaching Class 3-2's students about the types of dangerous that were usually on a mission. Even though the lectures were boring and his class was dozing off a bit, he felt very happy on the inside. The reason was because…

Naruto Uzumaki was coming back.

Yes, the Chūnin had heard all about it from when the Hokage made a meeting of his most trusted shinobi and of course the scarred man was heavily against it. He didn't like the idea of sending two young children out of the village when they weren't even _Genin_ yet. But when the Hyuuga Main family and the Hokage explained the blonde and the bluenette's fragile positions, the Umino hesitantly agreed to their terms. He was happy that they were safe, but he thought that they could have done something else about the children's predicament.

Iruka sighed before going back into his lesson. _Well at least that they're coming back to the village today…_ He went silent for a moment as he looked up at the ceiling. But I wonder when they'll be back…

"Right!" Iruka said looking back at his class. "Review questions everyone! What was the First Hokage's name and what kind of role did his youngest brother play in Konohagakure?"

Naturally, it was the pink haired civilian girl by the name of Sakura Haruno who was the first person to raise her hand. She had bright pink hair that she had decided to grow out to get Sasuke Uchiha's attention, large green eyes, and fair skin. She had a rather large forehead that people made fun off when she was younger, but with the help of her former friend, Ino Yamanaka, she was able to fend for herself and learn to love herself for who she was… And her looks…

The pinkette wore a red qipao dress with white circular designs; with short sleeves with a zipper, tight dark green shorts, and a beautiful red ribbon that she tied on her head to further accentuate her face. Sakura was considered an academic genius and she was the top female in her class… for now that is…

Iruka sighed and chuckled a bit at the girl's gusto. Well he knew that was going to happen. She was the only one in the class that was eager enough to participate in the lessons. Sasuke did as well, but only when he was forced to or if he felt that everyone was idiots so he felt that he should answer. "Yes, Sakura?" Iruka addressed the girl.

"The Shodai Hokage's name was Hashirama Senju and he was the grandfather of the famous Legendary Slug Sannin, Tsunade. His brother's name was Tobirama Senju and he was the Second Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Sakura answered almost automatically and gave the sensei a smug smirk.

Iruka felt his sweat-drop and he didn't even bother to check over the questions on his clipboard. "As always Sakura, you are correct." The man sighed as he saw her squeal in delight before sending a love-filled gaze at the Last Uchiha heir. Since Naruto and Hinata had played with him on that fateful day six years ago, the Uchiha had learned how to open up a bit more. But he instantly clammed himself back up again once his brother, Itachi Uchiha had committed a mass slaughtering inside of the Uchiha Clan.

It was called the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

The brooding boy had been hopped up on hate ever since. And he vowed he would get his revenge on his brother. Naruto and Hinata had given him his space for some time, but once they saw that he was still hate-bent, it took a lot of whacking and pinching before they could manage to get the Uchiha to at least start up a decent conversation. But finally, their work paid off once they managed to cool down the raven-haired boy's hate and get him to at least be friendly towards others. Some instances he would smile a genuine smile, but it was very rare among the boy.

Sasuke just tisked before he paid his attention back outside of the window, completely disregarding the pinkette. But it made her fall for him even more with all of the girls swooning over his cool attitude (**A/N:** **Remember, Hinata's not in the classroom yet**).

Iruka was about to start up the lessons but he was interrupted when he heard loud footsteps echo down the hallway. The class immediately quieted down when they noticed their teacher staring at the door before they heard the footsteps too.

"Do you remember where the classroom is?" A soft but firm voice seemed to say. It sounded feminine and everyone in the room strained to hear it. All of the other classes that occupied the upstairs along with them were either out to recess or taking a fieldtrip around the Leaf Village. "I-I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"Y-Yeah, it's Class 3-2 right? So it should be up here somewhere…" Another voice answered to the first. This one sounded much more deep and gruff, so it seemed it was a male's voice. "C'mon, we've gotta hurry before recess starts without us. Or else your old man will have both our asses for being soo late to class!" The male's laughter echoed throughout the hallway like a rumbling wave. The Chūnin thought that this person must've been powerful if he could make his laughter rumble like that. Heck, he even felt tiny vibrations in his hand from his clipboard.

"I wonder what we'll learn about." The female said excited as their steps grew closer making the class and the sensei fill with slight nervousness. "Do you think that we'll learn more about geography?!"

"Ugh. I don't see why you like that crap soo much. It's just stupid land. Iruka-sensei would just be boring us all to death with his: _Takigakure was founded in blah blah blah!_" The male said exasperatedly. This made the Umino very confused. How did this person know who he was? He answers were answered however when everyone heard something getting hit and a cry of pain. "Ouch! What was that for Hinata?!"

"Hinata…?" Iruka whispered loud enough so that the students could hear. This caused the class to erupt into low murmurs and grumblings that the teacher didn't even bother to calm down.

"Naruto, you shouldn't make fun of Iruka-sensei like that. He's trying his best for all of us to know what's out there when we are deployed on missions. Future Hokage's should already know this." Hinata berated the male, which was now Naruto, and that caused even more whispers to ignite amongst the students.

"Yes, _mom_." Naruto said in a sarcastic voice. "Hey look! There it is!" Everyone heard the loud stomping noises until it stopped abruptly into front of the classroom door.

"W-Wait Naruto! Let go! You're hurting my wrist!" Hinata said in a squeaky voice.

A nervous laugh elicited from outside of the door, making everyone sweat-drop at Naruto's _still_ apparent obliviousness. "Oops. My bad." The door slid open slowly making the classroom's whispers immediately die down and made all of the students' lean forward in anticipation. Even Iruka was a little nervous to see how much Naruto grew, for his body was turned fully towards the door. "Ladies first?" Naruto said in a gentlemanly way. Everyone heard giggling before they were met with a sight that they would never forget.

A beautiful pale skinned girl came sauntering into the room with elegance and grace. Her shoulder length, dark blue hair gently billowed behind her as she walked. She wore a loose-fitting, short-sleeved blue kimono dress with sky blue trimmings that stopped at mid-thigh, and a dark blue obi that was tied snuggly at her midsection which greatly complemented her attire along with the dark blue hand guards.

She stood in front of the class with her legs slightly spread apart, making the long, slender legs that were covered with fish-netted stockings appear thanks to the generous cut at the sides of her kimono. The necklace against her neck jumped as she whipped herself up to stand straight with a gentle smile gracing her elfish like appearance and it made her look even more stunning.

Then came the more shocking of the two.

It was Naruto, _Naruto Uzumaki_, and the Dead-Last of the Academy, who took their breaths away. He stalked into the room with his steps loud and demanding like he commanded everyone to look at him. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his attire…

Was… _different_…

His hair was longer than before, with two long spiky strands of blonde hair that framed his face and narrow jaw-line that he supposedly developed over the years, and his eyes that used to be soo childish-looking… Actually looked… _mature_…

He was wearing a red tracksuit jacket with three orange stripes on the sleeves, an orange under T-shirt that they could see at his collarbone, mesh under-armour, with a pair of black pants and blue sandals. He was also wearing a black mask that covered the lower portions of his face and it had three orange whisker marks on each cheek. It made him look even more mysterious with his new outfit, like he was hiding something that nobody else seemed to know. He still wore his goggles that he had when he was a kid, but it didn't make him look any less childish.

He stopped next to Hinata with his piercing blue eyes scanning the crowd with an intense stare. It put off many children, like he was stripping them all down and examining their naked bodies. They never knew he held such a stare, and they never knew the exuberant blonde could be soo _intimidating_.

His examining gaze stopped before they smiled, much like a certain someone, and he gave them all a friendly wave. "Yo! Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga have returned! Howzit going?" He beamed at them before he winked at his classmates.

Everyone went silent and stared at the boy and girl with shock and a little bit of awe. Even Sasuke went quieter than usual as he stared at his fri— his _acquaintances_ (**A/N: He never liked to admit it to anyone that they were friends**). Naruto just stared at them with a blonde brow raised before he leaned down to whisper in Hinata's ear.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked the timid heiress. She just shrugged, not knowing what was going on as well.

That even made the blonde even more confused than he already was before he straightened up and turned his gaze towards Iruka. The man was just flapping his mouth open and closed like a fish gasping for water. "Iruka-sensei…? What's the matter? Is there somethin' on my face?" The blonde questioned and he gently touched his face with a hand, searching for something that everyone kept on looking at.

All of a sudden, every single student jumped up from their seats and pointed an accusing finger at the two. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU GUYS?!" They all screamed simultaneously, making the blonde jump back in shock and the heiress squeak before she hid behind Naruto.

That made Iruka snap out of his initial shock before he was confronted with a rioting and utterly confused class of students about the Uzumaki and the Hyuuga's transformation. He sighed as he rubbed his temples to calm himself. Yep, this was gonna be a _long_ day…

* * *

Naruto felt his sweat-drop as he felt all eyes on him as he made his way towards his seat. Iruka had managed to calm the class down while using his infamous **Big Head no Jutsu**, which effectively squandered the yelling batch of students. After that he asked Hinata and himself to share with everyone what happened over the past seven months.

So they did.

Naruto mostly told the tale, But Hinata chipped in on her part too. They told about their travels to Tanzuka Town, The Land of Waves, The Land of Tea, and other various places around the Land of Fire. They told them of their training, but only a little bit for they didn't want to tell them everything that would ruin their opportunities to take the spotlight in the Genin Exams. They mostly talked about their chakra control training, weight straining, strength training, and their meditation training.

And once they finished, they left the class speechless again. And when Iruka told them to go take their seats, Naruto felt himself sweating nervously when he felt Sasuke's piercing onyx eyes on him. He knew it was him because he sensed his chakra nature, hence meditation training. At first, when Naruto was just getting the hang of it, Sasuke's chakra felt cold and empty with an unrelenting wave of red hot hate. But now his chakra felt cool and empowered, it was like it was always going in one direction just like his mindset. How ironic.

Naruto found two empty seats in the back and gestured over for Hinata to follow him. He let her scoot into the middle before he scooted over right next to her, blocking her from the main stairs. When Iruka started his lectures once again, Naruto decided to tune him out in the best way possible.

Reading.

Naruto slipped a hand into his weapons holster and rummaged around in it a bit. Once he felt his fingers graze something hard and smooth, he grabbed it and pulled it out. It was called _The Tale of a Gutsy Ninja_ by some old guy named Jiraiya. But strangely enough, the blonde couldn't help but feel kind of nostalgic whenever he saw that man's face. He had spiky white hair that was tied back into a pony tail, with two shoulder-length bangs that framed both sides of his face. He also had red lines that ran down from his eyes and wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "Oil". And finally, he had a noticeable wart on the left side of his nose.

But he really liked this book because one, it was action filled and had a lot to do with how ninja's fought in battle, and two, because the main character's name was his name, "Naruto", of which he didn't really understand. But of course, being the oblivious one he was even after all of that training, he shrugged it off.

_Funny,_ Naruto thought, _it's like I've seen this guy before…_ He was brought out of his thoughts, however, when he felt Hinata suddenly hug his right arm. He looked down at her with a brow raised to see her looking bashful and uncomfortable. She kept glancing in a direction before looking down at her lap. He followed her gaze until he saw three boys who were sitting two rows down from them, looking at the heiress with perverted and hungry gleams in their eyes. Naruto frowned under his mask. He did _not_ like how they were staring at Hinata.

He fixed them all an icy glare which made the boys flinch once they connected with the masked boy's eyes before they quickly turned around and paid their attention back to their sensei.

Naruto huffed. _They had better not do that again if they know what's good for them…_ The Uzumaki never liked the way boys looked at Hinata when she first wore that outfit. It made him more than pissed off to see the guys direct their gazes at his friend's chest or her ass. It made the boy want to beat up anyone who looked at her in that way (which he's already done before) and tell them to scram before they lost some limbs.

The blonde patted his friend's hand, making her look at him. He gave her a reassuring smile with his eyes and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. That made her relax and smile back at him before paying her attention back to Iruka. But she did still did keep a hand on his arm for a confidence boost and just because she wanted to. Naruto felt happy by Hinata's touch, but his small blush hid well underneath his mask.

He turned his attention back to his book before he opened it and flipped through the pages. _Now where did I last leave off…?_ He stopped once he found that a corner of the page was folded in. _Aha! Alright, let's see what happens next…_

…

_STORY/FANTASY BEGINS (HAJIME!)_

Damn!_ I thought as I quickly ran through the trees. He was gaining, and dangerously fast. But that's what you would expect from a Kiri Ninja. They were quick and fast like flowing water, just like their village stated._

_And I was at a disadvantage because it was raining and we were surrounded by tons and tons of water._

_I quickly pumped more chakra into my legs to get as far away from the ninja as possible. But how could I when I was on a lake?! Today is just not my day…_

"_**Water Style: Rising Water Cutter!**__" The Kiri screamed, I dared to look back and found that the water rose up high in the sky and came towards me like a slicing jet._

_I grit my teeth before I narrowly evaded the attack. I rolled with my falling momentum and stared my opponent down with a fiery glare. The Kiri stopped and gave me a smug grin. Oh how that pissed me off soo much._

"_So I've finally gotten you to stop have I?" He asked rhetorically and put his hands into a seal. His hunger for bloodshed was rolling off of him by leaps and bounds. It was suffocating and it made me want to gag, but I prevailed. I've dealt with much worse foes than this sleazebag. "Even though you are strong, the strong must fall someday. And yours happens to be today!" His hands quickly flashed through some seals before he shouted out: "__**Water Style: Water Trumpet!**__" His cheeks suddenly puffed up before he spewed a huge jet of water at me._

_I growled in frustration and flashed through some seals of my own. _Tiger-Horse-Boar-Ram-Rat-Snake_. "__**Ninja Art:**__**Needle Jizō!**__" My hair instantly grew and wrapped itself around me. It spiked out and its spikes were as hard as steel. It was the last second, but it'll shield me enough to keep this jutsu from severely damaging me. That much I knew._

_The __**Water Trumpet **__**Jutsu**__ collided with my shield of spiky hair. The compressed water hit me like a ton of bricks and it made my body vibrate in a violent way that I think that my brain with rattling around in my skull. Something snapped inside, and I _felt_ it break, but I couldn't feel any pain at the moment._

_Well that couldn't be good…_

_Once the force of the water was gone and I felt it was safe, I started to let my hair ease itself slowly off of me. I smirked at the Kiri's dumbfounded and slightly fearful expression. Now it was _my_ turn._

"_You're right. The strong do fall." I said agreeing with the shinobi's earlier statement. My hands went into the snake seal before I gathered more of my chakra. I was running low, probably from our earlier skirmishes, but I still had enough for just one more jutsu to get this guy. If it didn't, well, I'll just have to wing it I suppose. "But did it ever cross your mind that I was weak?"_

_His confusion was just the opening I needed. "__**Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!**__" My shield of hair instantly whipped up into the sky. The ends formed together into what looked like a lion's head and began to plummet down towards the Kiri at an astonishing speed. My hair's maw opened wide, showing its sharper than steel haired-fangs and finally—_

"NARUTO!"

_STORY/FANTASY ENDS (KAI!)_

…

Said blonde boy jumped once he heard his name screeched loudly throughout the room. He felt his book suddenly leave his hand and that made the blonde shout out a cry of indignation. His cry was silenced however when he saw a fuming Iruka Umino standing beside his desk while he had his book in his iron-tight grip.

Naruto smiled nervously at the man while he held up his hands in surrender. "C-C'mon Iruka–sensei, I wasn't doing anything wrong! Honest! I was just reading a little story is all!"

"_A little story_ huh?" Iruka said in skeptical voice. "Likely story. Well I'll just have to check out _your little book_ Naruto. You won't mind right?" Before the blonde could answer, the Chūnin was already skimming through the book. It had a lot of action and adventure based themes which ultimately surprised the scarred man. He would've thought that Naruto would have brought a magazine full of scantily clad girls in class (which he has done before).

Perplexed, Iruka closed the book and turned it on its front and read the title. _The Tale of a Gutsy Ninja…? _He looked at Naruto who was waving at him with his eyes smiling. Iruka was caught off guard for a moment before he coughed to regain his composure. "Ahem. Well it seems that I will let you off with a warning this time Naruto. Since you just came back to the village after all." The boy's eyes beamed with delight and reached out to take his book back eagerly, but Iruka once again yanked it out of his grasp. "But, I will have to confiscate your book until the end of class. It is too distracting and it is hindering you from your studies."

"Eh?!" Naruto screamed at the man. Iruka just turned and started to walk back down the stairs leaving the boy to stare at him incredulously. "B-But Iruka-sensei! I was just getting to the good part! I have to know what happens next! Please!"

Now everyone was looking at the blonde as he uttered out that one word. _Please_. Now Naruto was considered a delinquent, a ramble-rouser, a troublemaker, a ruffian, a hooligan, and a rapscallion who did what he wanted, how he wanted, when he wanted. So he never showed any amount of gratitude towards anyone. But when he just said the "p" word without strain in his voice, everyone (except Hinata) was ultimately shocked at the boy's behavior.

Iruka blinked and shook his head to clear his shock and surfacing thoughts. "No way Naruto. You need to learn your lesson." He said before he opened up a drawer and put the blonde's favorite book inside before sliding it closed with a click.

Naruto yelled out in frustration as he ruffled up his already untamed hair with his hands. He suddenly turned towards Hinata and grabbed her hands into his own as he cried anime tears. "C'mon Hinata, you gotta tell Iruka-sensei to gimme my book back! You just gotta!" He begged her.

The Hyuuga girl felt her cheeks heat up at her friends touch but she was more preoccupied with Naruto's behavior. She smiled nervously as she tried to calm him down. "I-I'm sorry Naruto, it's just that I'm a student and he's a teacher. He has higher authority over me so I must obey his rules."

"Bullcrap!" Naruto wailed, squeezing her hands tighter. "You're an heiress right? So you've got power and stuff over Iruka-sensei so you can get me my book back. Please! Please! Please!"

Hinata tried to speak time and time again to calm her best friend and crush down, but he kept cutting her off time and time again with his constant babbling and wailing. Frankly, it was annoying and she had enough.

"**Naruto.**" That lone word sent chills up everybody's spine as they all looked to see Hinata suddenly have an eerie and dangerous purple cloud hang over her head. Naruto instantly stopped his crying and felt warning bells blare loudly in his mind. It was telling him to run, hide, and get the hell out of there and away from that dark source.

He felt beads of sweat roll down his neck and face when he realized that Hinata _was_ that source and instantly flinched in fear at her face. She was smiling at him but there was nothing cute about it. Her smile was a sickly sweet smile and a large protruding vein pulsated on the corner of her forehead that made Naruto gulp in fear.

She giggled and her grip on his hands went from soft to crushing in a nano-second. Naruto screamed in agony making everyone scream in fear of the Hyuuga girl's sudden abnormal strength.

"**Naruto.**" Hinata said again with her smile widening. "**Look at me. Now.**" The boy did what he was told, biting his bottom lip hard as he held in his screams of pain. "**Now tell me, will you stop crying over your book that will be handed back to you at the end of class?"**

"YES MA'AM!" He shouted. As he nodded his head violently at her question.

"**Will you listen to Iruka-sensei's every word?**"

"YES MA'AM!"

"**And most importantly, will you pay attention in his class from now on? Don't lie, because I **_**will**_** know.**" With that, she activated her **Byakugan** while she still smiled sweetly at him. And for extra emphasis, her iron-tight grip on his hands grew even tighter and harder. Everyone heard something snap and crack, and it made most of the students hug each other out of fear for some sort of comfort from the sweet girl that turned ferocious in a second.

Naruto screamed again when he felt something break in his hands and his head again bobbed up and down furiously. Anymore nodding and he felt like his head would fall right off of his shoulders. "AGH! YES MA'AM! I WILL! I WILL! I PROMISE!"

"**Good boy.**" With that, she let go, reliving the boy of his torture and his long-suffering. After she let go, Naruto felt his eyes roll up and his head banged against the table as his body slumped over. Before he knew it, he was passed out in a dead faint.

Iruka stared fearfully at what he _thought_ was a sweet and shy girl doing something like that to someone as rebellious and mischievous as Naruto. So when she focused her eyes at him, he and everyone who was seated in front of her nearly jumped out of their skin.

"Sorry Iruka-sensei," Hinata said softly with her face displaying true sweetness and timidness, "it looks like Naruto passed out in class so he won't be up for a while. You can start the lessons again if you want."

"R-R-Right O-Of course!" Iruka squeaked out he immediately averted his eyes and began to babble out random words to the class. Though no one blamed him; after all, who wouldn't be scared after _that_?

…

After thirty minutes or so, Naruto had come to but it was also at the same time that Iruka called everyone for lunch break. As they walked out into the picnic lunch tables, Hinata was apologizing severely for her sudden behavior, even throwing humble bows along the way. Naturally Naruto waved it off, although his hands were still sore.

The blonde had found out not too long ago that he had abnormal healing powers. Hiashi, Hizashi, and Hitomi had told him that the Uzumaki Clan had amazing healing properties that came with their bloodline. Though if he paid more attention to their faces, he could've seen that they looked very conflicted and troubled.

Though he told her that it was fine and that he didn't needed her help, she insisted, albeit stubbornly, and he was finally won over when she gave him a cute pout.

They walked outside, side-by-side, while looking around for an empty table. Whenever they came past, kids would immediately scurry out of their way for fear that Hinata would pummel them all into the ground. Hinata hung her head in depression as everyone ran away from her. Naruto tried to reassure her by giving her words of encouragement that made her brighten up and gave him a happy smile. He smiled back while he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Naruto and Hinata looked around until they finally spotted an empty picnic table resting under a lone willow tree. The quickly made their way over and sat down on the table. Hinata took out their bento boxes and then she took out some gauze. Before the blonde could open his box, Hinata had grabbed one of his hands in her own.

"M-May I wrap them up for you?" She asked a little hesitantly. Naruto nodded and then he blush once he felt her hand touch his. They were softer than he remembered and they were cool to the touch, which was very a nice feel. Hinata gently but effectively wrapped the white gauze wrappings around his sore hands and once she was finished, she let go and admired her work. "There! All finished!"

Naruto clenched and unclenched his hands and grinned. "Thanks a lot 'Nata! You're the best!" He pulled her into a hug, which made her face turn red. He then let his red-faced friend go and pulled down his mask to eat his lunch. After a minute or so, Hinata shook herself out of her stupor and joined him. They chatted animatedly about the past and their near future as Genin.

* * *

Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka and the rest of the girls (minus Hinata) of the classroom were all conversing amongst themselves as they stared at the object of their gossiping: Naruto Uzumaki.

Every single one of the Sasuke Uchiha Fan-Club attendees were very confused about the blonde boy's sudden flip-the-script personality. They observed in the classroom that he was way more patient than he used to be, he was polite, quiet, reserved, and most shockingly off all, he didn't seem to wear his kill-me-now orange jumpsuit anymore.

And when they stole slight glances back at the blonde in class, he was _reading_ a _book_! How strange was that! And the really disturbing part about that was, Naruto actually looked… _cool_ while he read.

"It just doesn't make sense!" A very frustrated Ino exclaimed. She had grown as well as her other friends. Ino was a fair-skinned girl of average height with pale blue eyes. She had long, blonde hair that reached down to her waist, which was in a high-ponytail with her bangs covering the right side of her face. She wore a short purple vest-like blouse with a raised collar, a purple apron skirt that was cut off on the sides and bandages on her stomach and legs. She also wore purple and white elbow warmers with this, and her hitai-ate around her waist as a belt. "How can _Naruto_ go from being obnoxious to being quiet in seven months?! I thought that he would've stayed the same when he came back!" The blonde screeched. The girls all nodded their heads in agreement and started to murmur amongst themselves.

Sakura nodded with her rival's logic as well, slightly shocking some of the girls. "For once, I have to agree with you Ino-pig." She then folded her arms and looked at the object of their gossip. "I thought that that idiot would've done some stupid prank by now, but nothing's happened! Zilch!"

"Yeah!"

"That's right!"

Ino was getting riled up with excitement as her group of gossiping cohorts were all arguing and debating with each other. She always loved the banter and confusion of others when a juicy gossip made its way known into the world. Gossip was like a virus and it needed to be spread, and that virus was Ino. "Alright! Let's go take this bull by the horns girls!" Ino cheered as she suddenly jumped up to her feet and pumped up her arm into the air. The kunoichis-in-training all looked at the blonde in confusion but she continued her rant nonetheless. "We all want the details on Naruto's transformation right?" They nodded. "Well what better way than to interrogate the person in question ourselves?!"

The girls all looked at each other before they stood up too and cheered in agreement. Sakura was getting into it and stood in front of the hoard of girls with Ino by her side. They looked at each other, setting aside their differences for the moment, and pointed towards the spiky haired blonde sitting with the blue haired girl. "Alright girls, forward march!" The two rivals-of-love yelled simultaneously and everyone shouted a battle cry.

* * *

Naruto blinked in confusion when he saw his veggies tremble in his bento box. He stopped in mid-chew of consuming his riceball and turned to crane his neck to see a large crowed of girls running straight toward him and Hinata with a dangerous glint in their eyes. Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly pulled his mask back onto his face and gulped down the rest of his riceball.

The girls all surrounded them, staring at the two with unblinking eyes. Before the blonde boy could say anything, Sakura and Ino suddenly cut him off with a yell. "Alright girls! Grab him and bag him!" The commanded as they pointed at a thoroughly confused and nervous Naruto Uzumaki.

"Yes ma'am!" The girls all saluted in a single cry and lifted the boy up into the middle of the crowd of girls and quickly ran back to where they came from leaving a confused Hinata behind.

"Eh…?" Was all she said as she watched her best friend get carried off by a hoard of girls. Well that sentence sounded new.

* * *

"Damn it Naruto! Don't play games with us!" An angry and hotheaded Sakura yelled as she stomped her foot angrily against the ground. The pinkette, her blonde cohort, and all of the girls in Class 3-2 had all surrounded the blonde Uzumaki boy. They were currently stationed at another picnic table with Naruto sitting on the table with his arms folded and a crossed expression on his face.

"Well _what_ do you want me to tell you?" Naruto asked with an annoyed tone. "That I'm another me from the future or something?" The girls all stared at the lone boy in shock by his suddenly tone. Well they hadn't expected the preteen to get so mad so easily; usually the boy would back off when he was surrounded by dozens of demanding and slightly angered girls.

Sakura was the first one to get out of the stupor and she narrowed her green eyes at the boy with her hands firmly planted on her hips. "Well I would surely believe that than you actually training for once! I mean, you're too much of a goofball for _anyone_ to take you seriously!"

Naruto bored his cerulean eyes into her green ones unblinkingly. It unnerved her a bit by how much the so-called-goofball was staring at her intently. But that sudden thought immediately washed away when the boy erupted into a raucous laughter, confusing and annoying many of the girls.

His laughter subsided a bit and he wiped his eyes from the tears that were welling up in his eyes. "S-So I guess the proof is in the pudding huh?" The boy clasped his hands together with a loud clap, effectively making all of the girls jump a little. The boy jumped down from the table and landed on the ground with a soft thud. "Fine then," he said as he straightened up his posture, "I'll play that game."

Before the pinkette could yell what the heck he was talking about, she was silenced once she saw the boy zip down his red tracksuit jacket, revealing his orange under T-shirt. Every, and I mean _every_, girl saw how well developed the blonde boy had become. His shirt clung to every crease and crevice of his muscles, showing off his fine-tuned and taut torso. He then proceeded to lift up his shirt just a little over his abs and made the girls' faces turn another red hue once they saw the real deal. He even had a few battle scars that made a small few of the girls squeal inwardly.

"There, see? Now do you believe me?" Naruto questioned as he looked at the pinkette with a bored expression. But it soon washed away when he saw her, Ino, and the rest of the girls' eyes stay on his torso like superglue. He was confused at first, but realization slowly dawned its way into his mind. "Oh, I see what's goin' on here." Naruto said while he grinned mischievously under his whiskered mask. "You girls want to touch them, don'tcha?" The girls all jumped; they had been caught.

Ino huffed and placed her hands on her hips as she turned away her head to get rid of her infuriating blush that was painted on her cheeks. "L-Like hell we would!" Ino shouted hotly. "But we do need t-to do an examination test to make sure their real!"

But the blonde boy wasn't deceived in the least by his fellow blonde. "So, basically you want to touch them right?"

"No, it's an _examination_ _test_ you idiot!" Sakura screeched at him with a red hot face as she pointed at him accusingly. "It's totally different!"

"Yeah, different!" The rest of the girls said in unison, agreeing completely with their ringleaders.

Naruto wasn't fooled but he decided to mess with them a bit. He silently thanked Kakashi for teaching him about the ways of deceit and untruth. It helped the Uzumaki become less of an idiot, so to speak. "Oh!" Naruto drawled out loudly in mock realization. "This kind of thing does seem like an examination test, sorry 'bout that guys!" He suddenly grabbed one of Sakura and Ino's hands into his free one and lifted his shirt higher with the other and showed a bit of his solid chest. "Now where would you like to tou— I mean, _examine_ first Sakura, Ino?"

The girls both blushed a little more and started to squirm in place. What was going on with them? This was Naruto! The loud, obnoxious, idiotic, foolish, dead-last boy in their class! They shouldn't be feeling this way— Heck, they really shouldn't feel _anything_ towards the boy whatsoever. But seeing him after seven long months with his form looking tight and ripped and looking as strong as a mountain, it made the girls… interested in him.

Their eyes shifted upwards towards the boy's unruly blonde hair. Not to mention that with his hair longer, he did kinda-sorta look handsome. Especially with the two long strands framing his face. He looked like someone oddly familiar but they couldn't place who.

Sakura stared at the ground in annoyance as she felt her heart thunder in her chest. _Wh-What the heck is going on here?! Why is my heart beating soo fast?! Is it because of Naruto? Or is it because of his… his… _She looked up and her green eyes locked onto the boy's tanned abdomen. She saw they away how they expanded and deflated from his breathing, eliciting tiny contractions of the muscles that the Haruno hadn't missed. It was strange yet alluring at the same time.

_**Aw yeah! Let's feel up those bad-boys first! Cha! **_A loud voice screamed in the Haruno's head. Sakura never knew when it started, but she found out that another voice took up residence in her head. This voice, which she named Inner Sakura, would always say something that was soo bold in Sakura's times of anger, confidence, annoyance, or embarrassment. It was weird having another her in her head, but the pinkette learned to live with it after long.

Sakura and Ino looked at each other at the same time and exchanged stubborn looks. They looked at the blonde before mutter out their answer lowly. "W-We choose—"

"Wait a minute!" Naruto said suddenly cutting them off. He let go of their hands and let his T-shirt fall back down, covering his heavenly abs. "Doesn't the nurses and medical-nin usually examine a patient or something?" The girls all blinked and fell silent. Naruto grinned inwardly but displayed shocked look on his face and covered his body with his arms. "You sickos, you were trying to take advantage of me! And I thought that _guys_ were the only perverted perverts as they came!"

The girls all blushed in embarrassment and large veins erupted onto their skulls. They all screamed and tackled the blonde haired boy to the ground and began to pummel and throttle him.

"How dare you accuse _us_ of being _perverts_?!"

"I'll kick you sorry ass into next week you idiot!"

"I'm gonna make you eat those words!"

"Naruto, you jerk!"

All of the girls screamed other insults and continued their onslaught of punishment of angry and annoyed punches. But their beat-down was suddenly interrupted when they heard snickering behind them. They all turned to see the Uzumaki boy in question chuckling in amusement with his hands stuffed inside of his pockets.

"You _ladies_ might want to take a closer look at your victim." He said as he pointed at the spot he was originally at. They turned their attention back to their said victim, only to see a wooden log with a face sticking out its tongue out scribbled onto it.

"Ya know," the boy started gaining the attention of many ticked off girls, "not all of you ladies are perverted. Take Hinata for example, whenever I strip off my shirt so that she can tend to my wounds, she has pure intentions on _solely_ to patch me up." He suddenly looked away with a perverted grin stretched upon his lips along with a blush as he rubbed his chin and huffed out steam through his nostrils. "Not to mention that her hands are soo soft, I can't help myself but to hug her. And she still doesn't try to take advantage of me. She's soo nice." His grin faded but a tiny trace of his blush lingered on his cheeks as he turned back to the now silent girls. "But, I guess that's not my place to tell you that. Oh well, see ya." He gave them all a two fingered salute before he suddenly poofed away into white smoke.

The girls all blinked as the smoke cleared away revealing nothing in Naruto's place and then they looked at each other. An unnerving glint appeared in their eyes before a dark grin stretched upon their lips. They all thought the same thing.

Hinata.

And then the crowd of girls started to run at a breakneck speed towards the shy girl who had not once moved from her spot.

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga sighed as she nibbled on a riceball somberly. She didn't quite understand what the hoard of what appeared to be the Sasuke Uchiha Fan-Club organization wanting with Naruto, but she was quite confused when they had the audacity of taking her Naruto away from her when they were having a delightful meal.

Hinata blushed at the thought of Naruto being hers. _No, no. Naruto doesn't think of me that way. We're just friends… Just friends…_ The bluenette sighed before she took another small bite out of her riceball. It pained her that after all this time; she hadn't worked up the nerve to tell the blonde boy how she truly felt. And to make matters worse, with her lack of voice, she noticed that as they came back to Konoha, Naruto had been receiving many interested looks from the majority of the female portion of the population. It just backed up her theory when all of her female classmates came out of nowhere and whisked her best friend away.

_I guess it's going just to make it that much harder for me to tell him how much he means to me…_ Hinata sighed again and took out a much larger bite out of her riceball in bitterness. She blinked after she swallowed her large riceball bite once she heard a loud thundering noise coming in her direction. She looked just in time to see a mob of smirking girls coming straight at her as fast as an arrow. They skidded to a stop in front of her and the bluenette realized that her friends Sakura and Ino were acting as the bosses of the mob of girls.

The Haruno, the Yamanaka, and the Hyuuga had become friends not too long after Sasuke joined Naruto and herself in their group of friends. At first, they only joined the two because Sasuke was hanging out with them, but slowly and gradually, the two rivals-of-love managed to attach a bond to the blonde and the bluenette. The girls' bond wasn't as strong with Naruto as it was with Hinata. They three girls had found out that they had quite a few things in common once they weren't talking about the Uchiha. Thus, starting a beautiful friendship.

"Sakura? Ino? What are you guys doing over here?" Hinata asked a little hesitantly considering all of the stares she was getting.

"Is it true?!" The two girls yelled at her, causing the timid girl to squeak out in surprise. The pinkette and the blonde both had their hands on their hips and were leaning forward in Hinata's face with intensity riddled in her eyes.

Hinata leaned back out of instinct and held up her hands in surrender. "I-Is what true?" She asked in a soft voice.

"That you touch Naruto and stuff when you're healing him?"

Hinata froze. How did they know about _that_? Her face started to slowly burn into a red color and she began to poke her index fingers together out of her shy habit. "S-So Naruto told you guys a-about that huh?" She whispered softly but it was loud enough so that the Haruno and Yamanaka could hear.

Their eyes widened as they gasped in surprise. "So it is true!" The rest of their posse gasped as well before they looked at one another and exchanged sly looks before looking back at the ever red Hyuuga heiress.

"How does his chest feel like?"

"Have you ever touched his face?"

"Have you ever seen his face?"

"What does it feel like when he hugs you?"

They all bombarded her with questions about Naruto's… physical physique relentlessly. Hinata felt her head get light-headed as her face continued to turn into different hues of red. Why were they asking her such embarrassing questions? She never really liked to talk about stuff between her and Naruto because one, it was personal, and two; it was just too embarrassing for her to explain.

Hinata inhaled and exhaled to calm her thumping heart. It was fluttering in her chest so fast that she felt like it was going to leap right out of her chest. Her mother had taught her breathing exercises for this very reason. Hitomi could plainly see that the bluenette would certainly need this technique to calm her nerves.

Hinata inhaled and exhaled again before she addressed the crowd with a large pink blush that had spread across her nose. She knew that if she wouldn't answer them, then they would pursue her for the rest of her days until she fessed up. She sighed. Truly they were a persistent bunch. "Y-You really want to know…?" Hinata questioned them with a shy glance as she played with her hair. They all nodded. Hinata sighed again before she looked up into the clouds. "Well, where do I begin? There's just soo much about him that I just can't wrap my head around."

"What do you mean by that?" One of the girls asked in the crowd.

Hinata smiled softly before she looked down at her hands as she clasped them against her ample chest. "Well there is just something about him that makes me feel protected. Like he has an aura of gold that is simply engorged into his being. That beautiful aura makes me feel much calmness and relaxation that I've never felt before." Her blushed darkened as her smile grew and she looked into the awe-inspired crowd. "That same aura fills you with soo much warmth, it's like you're floating in midair. He is the sun, the sun that fills your life with happiness light, and purity. Him being the sun is like him being another powerful and supernatural being that regards you with much curiosity and question. He examines you fully with those eyes of his, which makes you want to run away from him yet stay at the same time."

Hinata swooned and felt her body teeter from one side to the other, not noticing the shocked looks that she was receiving from her sudden action. The reason being was because they had never seen the shy girl swoon before. Even when she was near the object of her affections.

Hinata ignored their reactions and continued. "And his eyes… Those gorgeous, amazing, blue eyes of his; they hold great mystery. Yes we all know that he is very goofy but, if you've ever seen his eyes up-close, you could see the amount of tales they seem to tell. His eyes are like the ocean, they are vast, calm, and ever-changing. They cannot be tamed, but they can be observed, they cannot be contained, but they can flow and take the shape of other things. Those eyes, the eyes that can be a smiling, gentle river before turning into a tsunami of unbridled rage in a second."

Hinata blushed after that and started to twiddle with her hair as she thought over what she was going to say for the next part. "A-And his body… His body is strong, lean, and built for action. His body is like a giant towering wall that cannot be moved, destroyed, or damaged. His body is built for the protection of those who are close to him; it is built for fighting, guarding, and loving. He is strong, but he is meek, he is mighty, but he is weak, he is rough, but he is gentle, and he is tough, but he is tender." Hinata sighed out in longing before she stopped and realized that she had an audience with her. Her face turned a nice rosy color and she tried to shrink into her clothing. "A-And th-that's what I my thought is about Na-Naruto…" The bluenette squeaked as she fiddled around with a lock of her long hair.

The girls were awed into silence. They had no idea that Hinata Hyuuga could go into that much depth of the person that was Naruto Uzumaki. Many of them were having second thoughts of the boy and his idiocy, Hinata was soo persuasive with her wording of him and it only supported her speech by his almost normal behavior, which many of them started to feel guilty that they had been so mean towards the boy.

Hinata could tell that the girls still had many more questions by the conflicting expressions on their faces, but before any of them could say any, Something slammed itself on the picnic table Hinata was sitting on. The force of the hit was soo great that it sent Hinata high in the air before she began to plummet back down towards the earth. She yelped in surprise before she felt herself get snatched away in the air and was placed gently on the ground.

"Heh! Heh! Sorry about that Hinata," her captor said apologetically, "Sasuke-teme was acting like a stupid jerk again and I was about to clean his clock before I fell from the tree." Hinata blinked before she looked up to see Naruto smiling down at her with his eyes. She could tell he was grinning because the corners of his mask was tipped upwards. The blonde boy did have the biggest grin in Konohagakure.

Hinata smiled brightly at the boy with a happy blush gracing her cheeks. "It's nice to see you again Naruto." Suddenly, the bluenette felt something shift on the small of her back. She looked down and realized that her crush still had his arms wrapped tightly around her and pulled her body close to his. Her blush deepened and she had to grip onto Naruto's jacket to keep herself from falling into unconsciousness.

But Naruto, being the ever oblivious one he was, didn't understand why his best friend was soo red. "Oi, Hinata? 'Nata what's wrong?" He asked as he stared at her with his infamous-closed eyes expression. More and more lately, people had begun to notice that the blonde barely looked at things with closed-eyes; it was his signature thing that only he knew how to pull off, but now it seemed that even _he_ was getting a bit tired of it.

Hinata's blush deepened before she gulped. He breathed in deeply. _O-Okay… Just calm down Hinata… remember your breathing exercises mother taught you…_ _remember…_ She calmed her nerves before looking up at her dunderhead of a friend shyly. "U-Umm, Naruto… y-you're holding me v-very c-close to your body… a-and it's a bit… un-uncomfortable…"

Naruto was confused at first but once he looked down, he instantly got the message. He was holding her a little too tightly against himself causing her ample cleavage to squish and squeeze against his taut chest. One of his hands were placed on the timid girl's hips and he could feel the firm softness of it. Her soft, graceful body pressed against his strong, rigid one made the blonde preteen's face erupt into a crimson color. He was utterly speechless and a small river of blood trickled down in nose, but no one could see it because of his mask.

But in his moment of realization, his arms accidently moved causing him to squeeze Hinata even closer to him. "A-Ah!" She gave out a high pitched squeak as her face turned a pink color with her eyebrows furrowed in slight… ahem… _bodily_ frustration. Her small and dainty fingers curled themselves into Naruto's jacket making her cry that much cuter.

That tiny squeak and action is what sent the blonde boy over the edge. His crimson face turned another shade darker (if possible) and steam started come out of his ears. And finally, a hot stream of blood rocketed out of both of his nostrils and through his mask. The force of the blood was so great that it sent him flying a few yards back from the Hyuuga heiress. The Uzumaki boy then crashed into the trunk of a tree, stopping his free-falling. It was then that a large perverted grin fell upon his lips along with a blush and perverted giggle.

_I never knew that Hinata could make that high of a note… And it was soo cute too… Kehehe…_ The blonde thought as his giggling grew louder. The blonde knew that he wanted to make the bluenette squeak like that again. No, scratch that, he wanted to make her a noise that was a bit more louder than a squeak. Yes, the blonde preteen wanted to make the timid Hyuuga heiress _squeal_.

He was brought out of his perverted musings, however, when he felt a sharp, cold, and deadly presence make itself known to him. The Uzumaki's tanned skin prickled up and the hairs of his neck stood at attention. He gulped before he slowly looked up to see Sakura, Ino, and the rest of the girls from his class glare down at him with anger and annoyance.

Sakura had a large vein protruding on her large forehead as she cracked her knuckles with a bone-jarring crunch. "**Naruto**…" She said darkly with venom dripped in her tone. And then as one, all of the girls expect for sweet little Hinata, pounced on the whiskered boy. "**YOU PERVERT!**" They all screeched and started to beat the boy into oblivion. Naruto's pain-ridden and agonizing screams filled throughout Konohagakure, filling many people up with either fear or nervousness.

* * *

_Next Time on Changes For the Better: The Genin Exams! You Better Make It!_

* * *

**OH. MY. GROSH! I CANNOT believe it took me THAT LONG to write this chapter down! Sorry my dudes and dudettes but I was having a serious writer's block and I was toats distracted at school so GOMENNASI and please forgive me!**

**Anyway, I wanted to make more of this chapter, but I guess I was just lazy. Oh well. Ya get like that sometimes am I right? Anyway a heads up, there will be a slight Sasuke-bashing with Naruto and Hinata and the other characters as well. Just wanted you dudes to know.**

**Okayzzz…. If you have sneezed through this whole, EXHAUSTING-ME-THE-MATH-OUT story then GOD BLESS YOUR EXHAUSTED FACE! Hehehe! Alright my lovely readers, I will see you in the next chapter! Byiii!**


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